Power To Destroy The World: The Uzumaki Way
by KyuubiGoku
Summary: Fate has a way of screwing you over and saving you at the same time. On the one hand, the child of prophecy, to save the world or break it. The difference? The power to do so. With this power, it's really simple. Make the world shake. Make it quake. To destroy the world, one needs only the right reason. Gurararararara!
1. Chapter 1

_**KG:….erm…..sup.**_

 _ **(Guns cock)**_

 _ **KG: Okay okay you're all mad. Understood, understood. Ahem, no worries, the cream soda has taken over as the blood of my body and I know have the creative cream juices flowing in my brain again. As for TUD:US I will update that shortly along with CotS. Just been….fine I'll admit it, lazy. Who knew LoL could be so addicting? YOLO!**_

 _ **KG: Erm…anyway. Enjoy this. I poured my heart out and my passion for it and…ah what the hell do you jerks care about that shit? Just read the damn thing and tell me what you think. That what all fanfiction is. Sheesh.**_

 _ **Music of the Week: Only Time by Enya.**_

 _ **Quote: "Loneliness is my least favorite thing about life. The thing that I'm most worried about is just being alone without anybody to care for or someone who will care for me," by Anne Hathaway.**_

* * *

He knew it. He should have known better. He just…he just wanted to believe. Yet, he should have known. Of course it was going to turn out that way. No one truly cared about him. Not the villagers, not the academy teachers, not the children, hell he doubted even the Hokage truly cared about him, but…his childish innocence just…begged him to believe. Of course in all hindsight it should have been strange. No one acknowledged his birthday for the past six years he could remember. He couldn't remember anyone celebrating his birthday since he was four. But…he just wanted to be happy that day. Granted people were always cautious around him, they seemed to be a lot meaner on his birthdays. That's why he had been fooled. That's why against all his instincts he allowed himself to believe. He allowed himself to believe that earlier today people cared as some started smiling and waving at him. Some said 'good morning' to him, and other congratulated him on reaching ten. For him, it felt like a dream that he didn't wish to wake up from. It was truly the first time he could have been happy. He supposed it was strange enough. He was allowed in all the stores and shops where they vehemently protested against his coming and going a few years ago. The shop keepers let him buy anything he wanted, vendors allowed him to look at their wares, and some kids actually played with him. It was…like paradise. When it was night time some of the villagers actually made a cake for him filled with ten candles. One could not imagine Naruto's eyes being any brighter than they were at that moment. The word 'Happy Birthday Naruto' were in sweet frosting. Overall, people just crowded around him and congratulated him. It was…all heaven.

Yet he now understood. There was no heaven. Dreams were for fools. The only thing that waited for anyone hoping to achieve anything…was anguish. Just when people had given him some presents, a merchant came up to him and placed an odd fruit in front of him. Naruto looked at it weirdly, but he was so regaled by the merchant's tales of the fruit coming from exotic lands that he bought into it. What a joke. He would have laughed humorlessly if his body could have allowed him to do so. The merchant then told him that it had the power to make anyone's wish come true and just for today…he would give it to him so the blond could truly have anything he wanted. He, Naruto, only wanted one thing. For days like today, this specific birthday to continue forever. Just a little acknowledgement was all he wanted. As he ate the fruit people cheered. It tasted awful, but to Naruto the wish was more than worth it. As he finished devouring the fruit, not a second later he landed into unconsciousness. He found his lungs suffocating with water. He tried to swim, but his body felt heavy. He couldn't breathe and he couldn't think. He could only see people with lit torches looking down into the pond that they no doubt threw him in. He was drowning. He didn't know why. He was a very good swimmer, he at least figured. Why couldn't he swim anymore?! As his body slowly began to collapse he took in some water. He only had one thought. _"_ _No more,_ _"_ he thought before he blanked out.

Now here he was, in Konoha's Medical Hospital, with tubes up his nose and in his arms. He knew it. All the signs said that something was abnormal, but…he just wanted to believe. Well, he believed and look where that got him. Still, as Naruto's senses came back to him he could hear talk outside his door. "Yes Hokage-sama, the perpetrators have been caught and contained. Yes we are lucky that Teuchi-san and Ayame-san were able to see the crowd with Naruto and rescue him in time. We are working on finding out why his guards weren't with him. However, the most concerning part is…the boy's chakra network. No it's not ruptured or fractured. He will definitely be able to mold chakra as well as anyone, but we fear to say that…he will never be able to use handsign ninjutsu or genjutsu for as long as he will live," the doctor said. Naruto trembled as he stared at the door. He could mold chakra, but he wouldn't be able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu? How was he supposed to be a shinobi then?! How could he pass the academy?! All of this, all of this because he chose to believe. All because he got a day of bliss for an eternity of regret!

He heard the door open and turned his eyes away. He didn't have to see the look of surprise on the Sandaime Hokage's face at his awoken state. "Naruto-kun…," the old man began as Naruto closed his eyes.

"Just leave Jiji. Just…get out," Naruto said as he turned over and covered his face with the sheets. No, don't cry. Crying solved nothing! Crying wouldn't make it any better! Crying for your own pity was pathetic and Naruto refused to cry for himself anymore. He also refused for the village to see him cry. They didn't deserve it. Naruto heard the door close behind him and sighed. Tomorrow he would have to thank Teuchi and Ayame. Though believing that anyone had his wellbeing at heart was…not a factor anymore. Because he knew now…no one did.

-x-

The next morning, Naruto was ejected from the hospital courtesy of the Sandaime Hokage. "Naruto-kun, about last night. You have my sincerest apologies," Hiruzen said as Naruto looked down at the ground. It was the day after his tenth birthday and as he had seen. The blissful facade of yesterday was entirely gone. People pulled their children away from him, some murmured rumors about him, others just saw fit to stare at him. The only thing this served to remind him was that he had blissfully believed in a dream.

"It's okay Jiji. You couldn't have known," Naruto said and Sarutobi could only be concerned about the cold tone that Naruto had addressed him in. So lacking in warmth and mirth like the old times. Still Hiruzen expected Naruto to be somewhat angry over these events. Especially since now he had heard the news from the head doctor last night. Hiruzen would have liked to sit down with Naruto and explain things, but when Naruto asked him to leave he could feel the boy's despair. Truly he had failed Minato and Kushina.

As the two came up to the house, Hiruzen watched Naruto sit on the bed in his bedroom. Hiruzen expected Naruto to go to get ready for school, but he just watched Naruto look out the window. Hiruzen frowned before taking a seat at the bed. "Naruto-kun, you still have to go to the academy. I know you're sad and frustrated, but you still need to go to school," Hiruzen said as Naruto looked out the window. Naruto chuckled dryly. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes as Naruto turned back to him.

"Go back to the academy? Go back to the academy?! And do what Jiji? You heard them, I can't perform any ninjutsu or genjutsu anymore. I'll never pass the academy now! I'll never be a shinobi either! I've got nothing left! You know why I have nothing now? Because I had everything I could have wanted for one day! Yesterday! My birthday! Everyone payed attention to me, accepted me, appreciated me and it was all a lie! It's all been a lie!" Naruto proclaimed angrily. Sarutobi didn't respond just yet as Naruto glared out the window.

"That is true. Things are much harder for you Naruto-kun and on my name as Hokage of Konoha, I will see to it that the people who did this to you are punished accordingly, but the Naruto I know wouldn't give up from a small setback like this stop him," Sarutobi said making Naruto snarl. The Naruto he knew? There was nothing for that Naruto anymore. "Besides the doctor didn't say that you couldn't mold or channel chakra, but…you couldn't do so with handsigns. So forming chakra with handsigns is impossible for you," Sarutobi said making Naruto go silent. That was true, but it was a rather moot point.

"I can't tell you it will be easy, but please go Naruto-kun. Whether you or Konoha believes it, we all need you," Hiruzen said making Naruto turn a look at him only to see the Sandaime Hokage walk out the door. Naruto looked down at the bed and noticed a scroll wrapped in a beautiful red ribbon. _"Happy Birthday, Naruto"_ were the words inscribed on it. Naruto looked back at the door before looking down at the scroll. He gently took off the red ribbon and unfurled the scroll.

" _Taijutsu for beginners and F_ _ū_ _injutsu for dummies?"_ Naruto would have laughed at the good-naturedness of the scroll if he weren't so angry with everything right now. The scroll showed many stances that the academy hadn't bothered to teach. There were also a few points in the scroll about chakra control exercises and whatnot. With a heavy sigh, Naruto dropped off the bed, changed his clothes and made his way for the academy. He was still in a bad mood, but he would rather not spend the entire day moping about it. As Naruto bent down to pick up a kunai, he clenched it…tightly. His frustration of the today and yesterday taking their toll. However he stopped as he took note of the small white bubble surrounding his kunai. Naruto jerked his hand away from the kunai and watching the bubble slowly disappear into nothingness. Clenching his hand again, Naruto gasped as his entire right hand was covered in the same white bubble that he had just seen surround his kunai. With a sharper gasp, Naruto flung his arm left and right frantically to get the bubble off his hand. As he swung his right hand, Naruto widened his eyes as he bashed against something solid. Looking to his right he widened his eyes. "What the…," Naruto said as he saw cracks, not in the wall, not in the window, but in the solid air that he had hit.

Fear overtaking him, Naruto withdrew his hand. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! The landlord's gonna kill me!" Naruto said, his anxiety overtaking his anger at the moment. However it only took a few seconds for Naruto to see the cracks slowly vanish into nothingness. Blinking, Naruto looked around the room. Okay, nothing out of place, nothing out of order, nothing broken, good. With a grunt, Naruto picked up his supplies and walked out of his room. Upon entering the streets he remembered why he had been angry as the looks came upon him again. Come to think of it, why should he care about the landlord's feelings? No one cared about his own. Apparently except for Teuchi-san, and Ayame-chan and now he couldn't even tell if that was entirely genuine. He felt like a missing-nin in another village. Always on edge, always on alert and from now on, it would have to stay that way.

-x-

Iruka Umino loved teaching. If he didn't then he wouldn't have become a teacher at the academy. Iruka knew that he couldn't show favoritism with students, but human reaction was pretty fickle. He knew that more than any of the others, he wished to see Naruto Uzumaki succeed. The boy reminded him so much of himself that it was rather haunting for Iruka sometimes. Yet, Iruka couldn't help feeling unease in the classroom. The look of sheer betrayal, hurt, and pain on Naruto's face was enough to almost make him forget that he was supposed to be teaching sometimes. Iruka had been told what happened to Naruto yesterday, on the blonde's birthday. Yeah, he was ten now. It was a collaborated effort. One thing about badly damaging people is to give them the one thing that they truly want and then swiftly take it away. Iruka should have known better too. It was obvious that the villagers reactions were forced, yet the most devastating had to be Naruto. Imagine a orphan, ignored and ostracized by his village for a number of years to suddenly being smiled at, enjoyed, and recognized only for it to be a ploy of treachery and deceit. Iruka couldn't imagine how much hurt Naruto had been through. The village just seemed so…genuine in wanting to give him just one birthday. He couldn't even get that. Iruka couldn't imagine that pain. It was for these reasons that Iruka didn't bother having Naruto pay attention. Naruto only seemed content to stare out the window in a seat in the corner. Iruka would grant him that. He deserved so much more than that though.

Iruka wasn't the only one who's thoughts centered over the blond as Shikamaru, heir to the Nara clan, sent passing glances to Naruto who sat in the corner. He had never known the blonde to be so quiet. He was so hyperactive that this silence actually didn't sit well with Shikamaru. Shikamaru couldn't even remember the number of times he prayed to Kami for people to be quiet so he could sleep, but right now. He really wished Naruto would crack a small smile or proclaim his dream offing Hokage at least once. Still, for Shikamaru it was too troublesome to ask the reasons of why. Maybe Naruto had a bad birthday. Shikamaru had said happy birthday to Naruto as did a few other kids, but maybe it went sour somewhere. He didn't know.

Some other kids, Shikamaru noticed took an interest in Naruto as well. Choji sent glances to Naruto every know and then and so did Kiba and Hinata, though the latter was a little more obvious. Hell Shikamaru almost faulted when even Ino and Sasuke glanced at the usually energetic blond. Maybe they were all hoping for the same thing…just for something back in the realm of normal to happen, but it never did. Naruto only looked on the window, a very solemn look on his face.

The entire school day had been that way. A couple of teachers tried correcting Naruto's behavior, but he either ignored them or, much to everyone's surprise, sent a small glare their way before they just decided to leave him alone. This was how the entire class period went until all the students came to the academy's dojo for taijutsu practice. "Alright everyone, enter your katas for the next twenty minutes. We will hold spars after that," came the voice of Mizuki, another teacher, speaking. Naruto just stood up and performed his katas, not exactly conscious of whether he was doing them right or not. Well he had a good grade in taijutsu anyway. Not like it mattered. Well perhaps it did matter, a little bit. Naruto supposed he should have been used to such things. Or at least he should have known better. Still, he didn't know why people were mean to him. He had asked the Hokage on multiple occasion of why this was a problem, but he only ever answered vaguely with 'Forgive them' or 'they don't know any better.' Like that was going to help him out in any way. Now because they 'didn't know any better' his chakra was messed up in some way that he could even focus his chakra through handsigns. So more than likely he would have to…do it sealless. The amount of concentration and work put into that would just be a pain. Naruto remembered one of Iruka-sensei's lectures on performing techniques sealless and it sounded like it was much more trouble than it was worth. Which was why at the time, Naruto was so happy he could use handsigns, as frustrating as they were to learn.

Before Naruto could think anymore on the subject, his feet shifted. Actually all the students' feet shifted, hell even Mizuki's feet shifted. Naruto, Shikamaru, Mizuki and the others gasped as the lights in the dojo flashed on and off. The ceilings lamps swayed heavily to the left and right. Sounds ruptured Naruto's ears as the glass windows broke showering the floor and the students with glass. "Get down on the floor!" Mizuki shouted. Naruto swiftly dropped to the ground and covered his head as some students did so as well. He widened his eyes as he could feel the ground rumble violently beneath his feet. It felt like it was almost angry somewhat. The wooden structure that was the dojo slowly began to crack and tear as lights from the ceiling fell to the ground. Students screamed and shouted while Naruto looked around in surprise. Even now more crashing could be heard outside. Debris fell over Naruto as he shielded his body as best he could. He looked to his left and noticed other students cowering as well before he found himself in intense shock. The dojo was…flipping itself at an angle. Naruto found himself sliding across the floor along with the other students. Girls screamed and boys shouted. Mizuki cursed as he tried to keep his balance on the unsteady dojo as best he could. Naruto's breath exited his body as he slammed against a wall. Other students slammed against him as he cursed.

After about ten minutes, the shaking finally stopped. Naruto opened one of his eyes and groaned. Multiple children were groaning and even some of the female population screamed stupid words of 'hentai' and 'pervert' for no doubt having landed awkwardly with a boy. Naruto didn't actually care about that right now, but he was surprised to see Mizuki standing on the floor. This would not have been such a big shock if the dojo wasn't flipped and the floor wasn't pointing at the sky. He was standing with like normal walking! "Is everyone alright?" Mizuki asked. Many students nodded though Naruto could see that they were shaken up.

In response, Mizuki flew out one of the windows before letting down a grappled kunai. Taking the kunai into their hands, each student proceeded up the…floor of the dojo. Finally as Naruto scaled the walls he wondered what that monstrous rumble was. As he got outside, with the help of Mizuki, he paused in surprise. The academy was…a pile of nothing. Houses in almost every direction laid in ruin, the Hokage Mansion had a large crack to its side. The Hokage Stone Faces were cracked on each of their faces. It was actually almost a miracle that they didn't fall from where they stood. As he looked out, Naruto couldn't help remembering what happened in his apartment. Had…had he done this?! No, there was no way he could have done all this. Were…were the people right? Was he really a monster? "Okay kids prepare to make your way to the…NARUTO! Get back here!" Mizuki shouted as Naruto hopped off the dojo and ran off back to his apartment. The other students watched him leave like a bat out of hell.

Naruto didn't go home. After years of pranking the Konoha population, he knew that this was the first place the teachers would look, if they truly gave a damn about him which, after yesterday he truly didn't believe anymore. "Luckily I know just the place to go," Naruto said to himself as he dashed forward some more.

With time he found his place in a lone plain surrounded by outer trees. Naruto imagined he was a bit of a distance away from the village so he hoped that he was alone. Looking left and then right, Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat. He covered his left hand before he tightened it into a fist. He tried hard to remember that feeling from earlier. His frustration and his anger from yesterday, all the things the villagers did to him that night. He remembered it all. Naruto shivered when he noticed his left hand covered in the same white bubble that his right hand was covered in yesterday. It was strange, Naruto didn't feel any particular cold or warmth from the bubble. It just sat there covering his hand as if it was telling him to do something with it. Taking a deep breath, Naruto looked out from the plains and to the trees. He took a deep breath before he drew his fist back and sent it forward. Naruto watched the air in front of him crack before a massive shockwave erupted from his vicinity and into the pile of trees making them explode in earthly force. At least five trees piled over each other as the ground tore from the sheer force that Naruto threw out. Naruto looked down at his hands in surprise. "W-Where did this come from?" Naruto asked himself.

"Was it that fruit that those bastards had me eaten yesterday for my birthday?" Naruto thought aloud. Oh this was awesome! Naruto had to tell Iruka-sensei, he had to tell Hokage-Jiji, he had to tell every….

Naruto stopped his jubilation. While he was excited, he still didn't forget. He was still responsible for the destruction that happened just then, whether he was aware at the time or not. Still, he didn't need to go telling anyone. He didn't know who would care and who wouldn't care. Right now, Naruto could only be happy that he had something even more awesome that Sasuke-teme's precious family sharingan! But…how could he use it? As happy as he was to have this, he didn't want to keep remembering yesterday as a source for this power. Still that perhaps had to help him with another theory of his.

He looked over at a small pond. Quickly taking off his clothes he grabbed the edge of the surface and submerged the rest of his body. Naruto winced. He felt weak and tired. He actually felt like he was about to pass out from the tiredness he was feeling. He also felt his body growing heavier. In fact it was so heavy he could barely keep himself holding onto the dirt ledge anymore than he was. Naruto widened his eyes as his nails slipped. He garbled a noise before a arm reached into the water and pulled him out in one swift motion. Naruto coughed as he landed on the ground spewing out water from his lungs. He turned his head and noticed Iruka glaring down hard on him. "Naruto, what were you doing?! You could have drowned!" Iruka said making Naruto frown.

"What do you care Iruka-sensei? Maybe it's better that way," Naruto said looking at the ground. Iruka lost his hard look and sighed. "Naruto I don't expect you to forgive the village for what they did to you. No one should have that done to them, but…suicide isn't the answer," Iruka said making Naruto snort. Is that what he thought it was? Not likely. Naruto hardly thought about killing himself over the village. They weren't worth that much of a damn to him. At least they weren't right now.

"You don't have to pretend being nice to me Iruka-sensei. I know you hate me just like everyone else. You were a lot less subtle, but I knew. I always knew," Naruto proclaimed making Iruka sigh as he held out his hand. "Come on, let's head back to the group," Iruka said with a small smile. Naruto looked at the offering gesture before snarling. He didn't need anyone's comfort anymore! It could all have been a lie at this point!

Naruto surprised Iruka when he swatted the hand away and grabbed his clothes. Swiftly putting them on, despite how wet he was, Naruto walked back to the village. Iruka shook his head before looking at the downed trees, no doubt more casualties from the earthquake disaster. If it wasn't one thing then it was another.

-x-

The council of Konoha quickly assembled itself together. While the council only ever truly needed to come together once a month to discuss matters of utmost importance, there were always exceptions to every rule. One of those exceptions happened to be natural disasters in these cases. "Are we positive that this was not an attack by foreign shinobi?" asked Homura Mitokado. Since the Hokage Mansion had been attacked by the earthquake it was standard procedure to move all influential figures from the premises and to a special, secret, underground facility to conduct meetings of importance.

"The sensors have not picked up anything to indicate that chakra was used in the attack. As we all know whenever a jutsu is used then residue chakra is left over. There was no chakra in this attack. It is not so uncommon for natural disasters to happen every now and then," came the next voice of Koharu Utatane. She glanced towards the Sandaime and Danzo, both whose expressions gave nothing away.

"Is it a coincidence that this happened…after the jinchuuriki's birthday?" Danzo asked forcing the three other council members to narrow their eyes. Hiruzen sent an unpleasant look at Danzo, but the bandaged man only matched his glare professionally. They had to look at all the angles, even unfavorable ones. "You believe the seal to be deteriorating already? The boy is only ten now. The Yondaime Hokage was one of Konoha's greatest seal masters far surpassing even Jiraiya of the Sannin," Homura said. If it was the case and the seal was deteriorating then they would need to prepare for the worst of worst circumstances. They would need to contact Jiraiya of the Sannin to take a look at the boy's seal if that were indeed the case.

"Granted his birthday was…unfortunate, best word I can use, he must still become aware of his responsibility to this village. Hiruzen your compassion for the boy is clouding your better judgement for the village," Danzo said making Hiruzen frown as he looked at his three former teammates. "We are not here to discuss Naruto Uzumaki, Danzo. We are all here to discuss the natural disaster that has just taken place within Konoha's walls," Sarutobi said attempting not only to change the subject, but to also bring everyone back on point as well. The others seemed to know what he was doing, but they went along with it. Not much that they could do about it. With a small nod of her head, Koharu took out a piece of paper and held it up.

"Well then we will place the Kyuubi jinchuuriki aside for the moment. The damage casualties are actually lower than we thought. None were killed, but 34 were injured. At least 200 people have small injuries, but nothing that a night's rest won't fix. However the districts are looking much worse for wear. The Red Light District has no power and some buildings have been destroyed. The commercial district has suffered minor casualties as well. As we all know the Academy has been damaged as well. Luckily no students were killed in the disaster. However the dojo was flipped on its side. We might have to repair the entire thing. Lastly the Hokage Mansion and Hokage Stone Faces suffered damage as well. However we can repair those at any time. By the calculations of those in the Science department, the earthquake was registered to be just under a 6.0 on the scales," Koharu finally finished as Sarutobi placed a finger to his chin.

"No doubt some of this will put Konoha in a deficit. Perhaps we should…speed up the graduation process for the students," Homura recommended. "The kids at the academy are hardly prepared to become genin. I do not say this to coddle them, but rather to scold not only them, but also the Academy. They should have been in the force by the time they were seven or eight, not twelve or thirteen. Its obvious that the standards for the Academy has dropped," Danzo said harshly.

"And what would you have us do, to remedy that situation? It's not like we can just chance the curriculum," Hiruzen said making Danzo place a finger to his chin. He looked at his surrounding council members before he closed his eyes. "In order to get out of this deficit we are going to have to do many things that we don't like. We are shinobi, honor is not in our code of conduct," Danzo said making the three other members remain silent as Danzo spoke with them about the obvious routes or plans that they could take.

-x-

Naruto panted as he tried to look over the taijutsu scrolls that the Sandaime had given him. Hidden motive or not, they were still beneficial to him in some way so he would use them to the best of his ability. However forgive him if he was too scared to throw out a full punch with some exuberance. If he accidentally cracked the…air again he didn't want to know what would happen. Luckily the apartment had been left standing as well as all the buildings behind said apartment. Unluckily, the apartment was crapped with people needing housing and shelter as some homes were wrecked. Oh well, at least Naruto was alone. Not like anyone would room with him anyway and he wouldn't let anyone. No telling what they would do anymore.

With a small grunt, Naruto released a tired breath and pulled out a bottle of water. He refreshed himself before sitting on his bed. When Naruto and Iruka had returned to the group, Naruto had been chastised for running off by a few teachers. He didn't really care to remember. However once that was done, Naruto participated in the relief effort around the village such as cleaning up debris and the like. Once that was done, Naruto was allowed to go home. Naruto knew he had been cold to Iruka instead of thankful that the man had saved his life, but Naruto didn't know what to believe or who to trust anymore. He hadn't had the chance to thank Teuchi and Ayame for saving him. He had hoped that they were alright. If no one else, Naruto at least _hoped_ that they were who they said they were.

With a sigh, Naruto held up his hands and tightened his fists. The white bubbles appeared once again. If Naruto could control this then he would show the damn village that he was worth a damn! He would show that he wasn't a useless dead last like everyone proclaimed! Yet, more than anything, Naruto wanted to master this power for himself. Perhaps merely to prove to himself that he could be who he wanted and not what others deemed him to be. With a small nod, Naruto allowed the white bubbles to vanish without usage. With a small sigh, Naruto turned out the lights to his room and hopped into the shoulder. It was going to be a cold one, but it was a shower nonetheless. After he had done so he would go to bed and get ready for the next day.

With a groan, Naruto woke up to a knock on his door. He cursed before pulling himself from his bed. As he tiredly opened the door, he barely registered the voice that spoke. "Uzumaki Naruto?" the person asked as Naruto rubbed his tired eyes. "Who wants to know?" Naruto asked letting his vision come back in time for him to see who he was addressing only to freeze when he stared face to…mask as two Anbu looked down at him. Naruto shivered at his doorstep. W-Was he found out? Did they know he caused the destruction yesterday? Was…he going to be executed as a monster? Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat as the other Anbu spoke.

"All academy students are to report to Training Ground 1. Wait there for further instruction," Was all the Anbu said before he and his partner vanished out of sight leaving Naruto in his shirt and boxers. With a close of his door, Naruto released the breath he didn't know he was holding before he followed back into his routine. They sure handled that school situation fast. Naruto figured that there would at least be a couple of free days for him to train with this new power of his. Well, it didn't look like he was going to get that today. Still he would rather not be late. He didn't need anyone on his back this early anyway. Getting his supplies together, washing up, eating some instant ramen, and putting on his shoes, he headed for Training Ground 1.

Once, finally, finding Training Ground 1, Naruto saw it was littered to the brim with kids his age and some a bit older than that. Far off and removed from the crowd, Naruto saw Sasuke, the bastard, leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. Naruto resisted the urge to snort. Look at him, look all cool. He was much cooler than Sasuke-teme! _"Well, forget him. I'm not in the mood to bother with him,"_ Naruto thought to himself before he moved himself through the crowds. He saw Hinata talking with some group of girls along with Ino. Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji were all to one side talking as well. Naruto saw Shino just…observing everyone around. Not matter how moody Naruto felt, he still couldn't help being unnerved by Shino's gaze, especially when he couldn't really…see said gaze.

Finding a nice spot to sit, Naruto rested beneath the trees feeling the sun and wind in his hair. "Glad to see that even idiots have nine lives," Naruto opened one of his eyes and noticed Kiba grinning at him along with Shikamaru and Chouji. However instead of a crack back, the three noticed Naruto just looking at them. "What do you want?" Naruto asked in a tone that told them he didn't want to be bothered.

"Whoa, looks like someone's trying to take after Uchiha Sasuke in the attitude department. Come on man, you just had a birthday, didn't you just have an awesome time?" Kiba asked making Naruto narrow his eyes dangerously. Shikamaru quickly took the hint before patting Kiba's shoulder.

"Troublesome, Kiba leave him alone. Even Naruto can have a bad day. Look Naruto, we just came over to ask why you ran off from the dojo yesterday. You seemed to be in a hurry," Shikamaru said. Naruto blinked before he looked over the horizon. He didn't know the _real_ reason they wanted to talk to him, but he guessed it had something to do with his behavior or whatever he was doing. He supposed an answer would suffice.

"I wanted to make sure my apartment was alright. Unlike you guys I don't have other places that would welcome me if my apartment was destroyed. That's all," Naruto said making the three boys glance to each other. Shikamaru just decided to let it go before looking back at the other group of kids. "I wonder why they brought us all out here though. I imagine that they are renovating the academy and the dojo, but who knows how long that's going to take. Some kids are here that are two years ahead of us. Though I don't see any six or five year olds," Shikamaru said. It was true, as Naruto looked around he couldn't see any kids less than his age there either. With a small grunt, Naruto scanned the kids. Not many caught his eye although there was a taller Hyuuga kid glaring at Hinata every now and then. Naruto shrugged his shoulders. Not like he really cared…much.

Finally after waiting for about twenty minutes, the confused students were all surprised when a number of jonin and chunin entered the field. Some of the chunin the students instantly recognized as their teachers in the academy. Naruto noticed Iruka and Mizuki entering the field. After a few moments of silence Iruka spoke up to the mass of students. "As you all know, the academy has been damaged so much that it can't serve as the place of education anymore. Due to the natural disaster that hit our village the other day. Now before anyone starts jumping up and down about no class, the fact that we have gathered here still means that lessons will be provided however because of the damage Konoha will have to take more jobs and thus we need all available hands," Iruka said making some of the children widen their eyes. Naruto was easily one of them.

"You mean we get to graduate early?!" A girl asked/almost squealed while some of the kids spoke amongst themselves. Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose before sighing. He actually wanted to chuckle and their naiveté, but withheld himself. "Don't get ahead of yourself. No one is graduating just yet," Iruka said and as expected a number of groans were heard through the students. Naruto just rolled his eyes and if he looked out of the corner of his eye then he would have seen Uchiha Sasuke snarling as he tapped his finger on his arm impatiently.

Hearing their groans, Iruka chuckled to himself before clearing his throat. "Alright calm down, calm down. As of yesterday we are implementing a new Academy learning style with the students. We have allowed you to have them, but now is the time to rid yourselves of your delusions of grandeur about the applications of being a shinobi. Now until your graduation you will be paired off with two other teammates and one jonin instructor. We call this the simulation course. You will do all the missions as required of a genin. You will also be trained by your temporary jonin instructor. Again this is a simulation course and you will be graded so do your best. For your final, you will take one C-rank mission and if you pass then you pass the exam without needed to be tested at the academy. However if you fail then you must pass by the academy ways. I will now read off the list," Iruka said making Naruto gawk. He…he could pass the academy. He just…had to complete a C-rank mission as his final in two years. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat. C-ranks were supposed to be four times as hard as any D-rank missions. As Iruka read, Naruto felt his heart beating even faster. No matter how he felt, he could contain this excitement. Well hopefully in two years he would be a helluva lot better with this new ability of his rather than just using it like an amateur.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino, Inuzuka Kiba, you're temporary jonin-sensei until graduation will be Shiranui Genma," Iruka read off. Naruto frowned at the thought of Kiba and Ino. Perhaps he should have been happy that he was paired up with people his own age group, but Naruto and Kiba weren't the closest friends, but perhaps rivals was a good word. Naruto and Ino? You might as well have stabbed your eyes out, drowned yourself in oil, and then lit a match, because Naruto was sure that this was the same as being paired with Ino. "WHAT?!" and there it was ladies and gentlemen, the screech the broke a thousand windows. Naruto could see Kiba sending a glare at him along with a feral smirk. Naruto couldn't resist giving him own grin though his thoughts should have suggested otherwise. Both could see the Yamanaka heiress's friends consoling her.

As Iruka finished off the list he looked up at the students. "Remember that this isn't official, but it can be if you wish it. Work hard with your new teammates and your sensei. Remember, you're being graded for this," Iruka said before taking a bow and moving back. As some jonin moved to collect the academy students, Naruto leaned himself off the tree he was sitting at.

"Good luck to the both of you. You got Ino of all people. Glad I'm not you guys. She's far too troublesome," Shikamaru said before he and Chouji walked away leaving Naruto and Kiba alone. It didn't take long before both noticed Ino walk over to them.

"Alright mutt-boy and dead last, we're getting this out of the way right now. I'm the leader of this group! Everything I say goes!" Ino said making Naruto roll his eyes. Kiba growled along with Akamaru. "Ha! You wish blondie! I'm the alpha here! I'm the leader!" Kiba called out as he and Ino glared at each other. Normally Naruto would have been more than happy to shout with them about him being the leader and whatnot, but he wasn't in the mood for it. He wished he could say that his birthday wasn't affecting him lately, but it obviously was and he knew it. He just felt content to watch his two new teammates shout at each other.

"If I recall, I'm the leader here aren't I?" Naruto looked up and took notice of Shiranui Genma looking down on the three of them. The senbon that flicked through his teeth as he looked at them captivated Naruto only slightly. He managed to break his gaze as the two of his teammates swallowed the lumps in their throat. Genma looked over the three before sighing as he rubbed the back of his head. "Okay I guess we should get introductions over with…well, we have two years to learn about each other, we'll handle that later. For right now, we won't take any missions. I would normally let you all do your own thing for today, but I doubt any of your three know how to train properly. So today will be physical conditioning. Also, Uzumaki Naruto, I was told about your…condition from Hokage-sama. I have things planned for you as well," Genma said making Naruto frown.

Ino and Kiba glanced to Naruto. Both weren't aware that he had a condition of some kind. While they hoped it wasn't serious they didn't actually have any prompts to ask either. "Alright you three, ten laps around the pond. Chop chop, we're burning sunlight," Genma said clapping his hands. Ino and Kiba groaned while Naruto followed after them a little concerned. For whatever reason he couldn't swim anymore and he sank like a stone in the water. He'd much rather avoid all water sources if he could help it. Well he would just have to be careful and not accidentally fall in. The three began their laps as Genma smiled. As he watched them run he grinned as he picked up some stones. One he had a handful he grinned as he looked at his little team of academy students. Oh this was going to be fun.

Naruto panted along with Ino and Kiba, obviously out of breath as well as severe scratch marks over their faces and clothes. All three of them glared up at Genma as said man grinned WHILE simultaneously flicking his senbon through his teeth and clutching a couple of rocks in his hands. "You know if you don't want to get hit then it's human nature to dodge! I didn't think you would all willingly get beaned in the head so many times, but you completed your run and that's all that matters," Genma said making them look at each other. He was lucky he had confiscated their weapons of they would use them right now. Naruto actually contemplated his new abilities just for their new sensei, but he decided not to if only because he didn't want to accidentally kill the man. Genma just continued to laugh at his new students.

"Alright that's enough laying around, now onto your push-ups and sit-ups thirty each. Come on you three, I wanna see some sweat!" Genma said as Naruto groaned. He, Ino and Kiba began their exercises while Genma counted. "Oh yeah and did I forget to mention that you should all do them synchronized? So if anyone falls out of line then we start over from one," Genma said. Naruto widened his eyes while Ino and Kiba gawked at their sensei. The three looked at each other before they groaned.

Thirty minutes. It took half an hour of pain for the three to finally synchronize through thirty push-ups and thirty sit-ups. Naruto's arms and legs burned as the sweat of his brow fell from his chin and his face. He could see the same for Kiba and almost double them both for Ino. The girl was practically wheezing. Naruto watched Genma slowly take a toothpick out of his mouth. "Nice work, you three. You didn't give up. You know if you were genin…I would have dropped you from the program already," Genma said making the three turn to him with wide eyes.

"When you are done with an activity you say 'anything else Bla-Blah-Blah-sensei?" Genma replied. The three tried to move to lean up, but found it very hard to do so which made Genma sigh. Honestly, what was the academy teaching these kids? Well whatever. He had two years to make these kids into something worth a damn.

"Well you're academy students. I guess I should expect this. Anyway we'll start with the basics. Do any of you know what chakra is?" Genma asked. The three glanced to each other before Kiba replied. "It's the stuff that allowed shinobi to do amazing things," Kiba said/panted out tiredly. Genma looked at his three charges before sighing. Well, he wasn't exactly wrong in that regard.

"Okay, can someone tell me specifically what chakra is?" Genma asked as Ino groaned. "Chakra is the combination of physical and spiritual energies. We mold it in our chakra pathways system. It can be unleashed into the five elemental properties of fire, earth, wind, water, and lightning techniques, but there are other non-elemental techniques that require chakra. It's a shinobi's lifeline," Ino replied. Genma smirked as he leaned against the tree.

"Hmmm, and to think the profile called you vain and inept. Looks like you have some brains up there despite your current grades. Good answer Ino," Genma said and Ino was too tired to be angry at the moment. It was only when Genma clapped that all three groaned. "And how long are you three going to rest? We gotta keep your body warm for taijutsu practice," Genma said making the three groan once again. Genma smiled.

"Course if you don't like that we can do thirty laps around the lake this time," Genma said and once he blinked he noticed Naruto, Ino, and Kiba on their feet. Worked every time. With a nod, Genma moved through his academy team. "Alright show me the taijutsu that the academy has taught you," Genma said. The three nodded before they began to throw out the katas for the academy stance. On the third kata, Genma closed his eyes.

"Alright stop, Naruto come here," Genma said. Naruto twitched, but moved in front of Genma. Ino and Kiba snickered as they watched him appear before the jonin. "Why are you punching like you have no motivation?" Genma asked. Naruto shivered as he looked away. He couldn't very well tell Genma that the reason he wouldn't punch with more fire in his fists was because he was scared he would crack the air itself again and make another earthquake that would no doubt devastate Konoha anymore than it already was. So, he settled for a more indirect path.

"I have been in a bad mood recently," Naruto said which made Genma frown. Ahh his birthday. Hell almost every jonin and chunin who wasn't out on a mission had heard about what happened two days ago. Genma doubted his words were going to make much difference, but he could see why Naruto wouldn't be into it. Hell he doubted he would be as well. "Alright then Naruto, just for today what would you like to do?" Genma asked. Naruto looked up in relative surprise and though Genma didn't think much of it, was suspicion in there too?

Naruto sighed and just pulled out the fūinjutsu scroll that the Sandaime had given him. Genma took a look at the scroll before raising an eyebrow. It was strange, not most genin would have been into fūinjutsu and the like, though now given Naruto's…unfortunate circumstances perhaps things that didn't require handsigns would more beneficial to him. "Fine, you work on fūinjutsu and I'll instruct you in your taijutsu later," Genma said. Naruto still seemed surprise, but gave a word of thanks before reaching into his pouch pulling out a bottle of ink and a couple pieces of papers.

"Why doesn't the dobe have to do this?!" Kiba asked angrily making Genma look at the two students for a moment. "I have my reasons. Now both of you keep performing," Genma said making the two sigh, but they continued anyway.

Meanwhile, Naruto looked at the scroll as he tried to perfect his handwriting. The scroll spoke that any master fūinjutsu user had exceptional handwriting. Naruto knew his handwriting was bad, but it wasn't terrible. Good thing the scroll talk about brush stroke techniques. At this moment, Naruto just figured to work on his technique. The scroll also should what a master a specific part of a seal should look like or how it should be drawn so Naruto could compare his notes. "Still to use fūinjutsu in a battle, how fast would I have to write?" Naruto asked himself as he scratched his head. Normally, for him, it wasn't hard to seal things into sealing scrolls such as paint or brushes for one of his pranks, but to actually create one on his own took a lot more time than he would have given it credit for.

For the next fifteen minutes, Naruto continued practicing his brush strokes before he saw a shadow loom over him. "Rejoin the team Naruto. I'm going to focus on this group's chakra control," Genma said. Naruto nodded and returned to see Ino and Kiba drinking water much to their relief.

"Now then, who can name three standard chakra control exercises?" Genma asked. It was at this question that Kiba grinned. "Why not ask Naruto? He's all about chakra control, isn't that right Mr. I Can't Perform A Simple Bunshin To Save My Life?" Kiba said with a small grin while Naruto growled and clenched his hands.

"Not like anyone ever told me what I was doing wrong," Naruto said or rather muttered, but Genma heard him all the same before turning to Kiba. "Alright then Kiba, why don't _you_ tell us three chakra control techniques so that Naruto can know better ways of improving his chakra," Genma said making Kiba's chuckle nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

"W..well there is the leaf exercise that Iruka-sensei had a do in the academy. We stick a leaf to our heads and trie to keep it there for as long as possible with our chakra. Another one is…the…erm…uhh…the kunai-balancing one! You place the kunai on your fingertips and try to keep it there with chakra for as long as possible. The difficulty can be increased if you try using your chakra to slowly spin the kunai. I…I…I don't know a third one," Kiba said. Genma sighed before turning to Ino.

"So does blondie know?" Genma asked and by the look Ino gave him he could see that she didn't appreciate the name he had given her. "Why would I know anything like that?! All I know is that I hate this team!" Ino said with a small sob. Naruto and Kiba glared at her while Genma rose an eyebrow.

"Oh? And why do you hate this team?" Genma asked making Ino pout. "Do you have to ask? I get dog-boy and the dead last while forehead gets Sasuke-kun? How fair is that?! I want a replacement!" Ino cried. Genma scratched his scalp and sighed. Ah the last Uchiha. True Genma did sympathize with the boy for going through that experience, but misfortune followed everyone. Naruto was a good example of that.

"As you go through your shinobi career, you aren't going to always be partnered up with Uchiha Sasuke. You'll have to be partnered up with people you like, hate, and overall loathe, but guess what? You'll still have to complete the mission anyway. You think the Hokage's merely going to accept the excuse 'I didn't like him/her and they pissed me off' for an important mission. You learn to either accept your situation and make the most of it. Or hold in your resentment until you are no longer a team. This is your team and it will be for the next two years. I suggest that if you don't want to be miserable then you get over it," Genma said making Ino wince. Naruto looked at him Genma in some surprise. The man at first did seem like a jokester, but he quickly asserted himself as knowledgeable, definitely not trustworthy for Naruto, but at least knowledgeable.

"Alright well, Kiba offered some of the academy's more basic chakra control exercises. Now then, since you can't think of anymore I have to have a talk with Iruka-san about the academy's methods," Genma said before Naruto spoke. "Why do we even need to learn chakra control? Isn't the whole point of this thing to learn the jutsu?!" Naruto asked. Genma rolled his eyes.

"Every jutsu, no matter how low or high it is, requires control to utilize to its full potential. Not that this would happen, but Naruto imagine if you had a technique that would literally be able to reshape the landscape and everything that you saw around it. If you had no control not only would you be doing damage to yourself, but also to your enemies, your allies and any innocents caught in the crossfire. The academy emphasizes control because without control of one's chakra then one uses more than what is needed or even less than what is required leaving the user to either injure themselves and others or become useless. Control is about safety!" Genma stated firmly making Naruto flinch as he remembered the events that transpired yesterday. If he had control and didn't flail his right arm around the dojo, the academy and a good measure of Konoha wouldn't be debris. Naruto couldn't imagine how many people he had hurt in that accident.

Genma could see Naruto's contemplative look, but didn't go into it anymore. He could also see Ino and Kiba looking at each other like they didn't want to hurt anyone either. "Good. Looks like you are beginning to understand the ramifications of not having enough control. So today I will teach you the third way," Genma said before he walked towards a tree. He quickly used a handsign before placing his foot on said tree. Ino, Kiba, and Naruto gawked as they watched him climb up the vertical tree with ease before standing upside down amused by their stunned faces. Kids these days. When he was a genin, if you didn't know this then you didn't graduate. Well whatever, they say ignorance is bliss, but for shinobi ignorance is death.

"Learning to do this is the first step in mastering the variety of techniques that the world has as well as creating your own." Genma said before the three noticed three kunai at their feet. "We take no missions and we learning nothing else until you get this down first. Use those kunai to mark your progress if you must. This shouldn't be too difficult for you, but for inspiration, whoever doesn't get it this training session…doesn't eat," Genma said with a grin. Naruto dropped his jaw while Ino and KIba snarled.

"That's not fair!" Ino shouted making Genma shrug his shoulders. "I should care…why? Get started or none of you will be getting lunch. Now remember too little chakra and you fall off. Too much chakra and you'll damage the tree. Get to it," Genma said and quickly the three picked up the kunai. Naruto gave a small sigh before he turned to see his teammates perform the handsign. With a firm resolve, Naruto nodded and did the same. Kiba quickly ran at the tree and managed to get a good six steps before having to jump back. Ino made it about eight steps before she jumped off as well.

"Kuso!" Genma looked over and noticed Naruto had rubbed his head cursing. It looked like hadn't even made it two steps. Though it looked like those medical reports were right. He watched Naruto perform the same handsign before making an attempt for the tree again. Still only two steps with no improvement. Now even for the worst shinobi they managed to at least get four footsteps on the tree before having to jump back. Two steps was basically a civilian trying to climb a tree. "HA! You loser, ya can't even climb a tree?" Kiba asked as he made his seventh step before starting over. Naruto's eyebrow twitched from the insult.

"Cut him some slack dog-breath, you're not doing any better!" Ino shouted as she grinned while kicking her legs up on the tree. Genma raised an eyebrow before sighing. Looks like he had more work that he had anticipated. "Well looks like Ino-chan has the best chakra control of all of the three. Good work," Genma said making Ino grin as she watched her two new teammates glare hard at her. She stuck out her tongue.

"Well?" Genma asked as Ino turned to him. "You think you've mastered it? Do it again. Do it over until you can read a book or scroll while doing it," Genma said making Ino deflate. If it wasn't one thing it was another.

Naruto growled as he looked at Ino. He couldn't do it. He did the handsigns, he tried to pull the chakra into his feet, he tried to make it the right amount, but he wouldn't stick even a little! He would just go falling on his head each time. The comments from Kiba weren't helping him either. "Naruto, come here for a moment," Genma said as he hoped off the tree. Naruto broke from his inner tirade long enough to get up and go over to Genma.

"So it's true. You can't use handsigns which means you'll have to do it without them. That will take a lot of concentration and focus. Hold on for a moment," Genma said as he pointed to Ino and Kiba. "I'm going to be back in exactly fifteen minutes. You both keep practicing," Genma said before he dashed away. Naruto watched him go before sighing.

" _Can my day get any worse?! No one has this much bad luck dattebayo!"_ Naruto cried out mentally as he watched Ino hop from the tree along while Kiba rubbed his head. "Seriously man what's up with you? You've been acting weird all day and yesterday," Kiba said making Naruto frown. He had enough people to _worry_ about him to last awhile. Not like they all didn't have some kind of hidden agenda anyway.

"Yeah Naruto, even when you sucked in the academy you still had some measure of chakra control. What's up with you?" Ino asked much to Naruto's surprise. Naruto looked away from them both for a moment before slumping his shoulders. "Shut it dog-breath, I…I…I can't do it like you guys can anymore," Naruto said as he looked at the ground. Ino blinked and so did Kiba.

"What are you talking about man? Of course you can. We've been molding chakra this way ever since we entered the academy. Don't you remember?" Kiba asked making Naruto shake his head. "That's not what I mean! Yesterday I…had to go to the hospital. They told me that I…I…have a disease. It's distorting my chakra and because of it I can't use handsigns to mold chakra anymore," Naruto replied. Kiba and Ino turned to each other before Ino chuckled nervously.

"T-That's nonsense Naruto. Every shinobi uses handsigns to use chakra. If you can't do those then you can't…," Ino didn't finish as Naruto looked at the ground angrily. Akamaru whimpered at the sight while Kiba frowned. "You really can't use handsigns? So what…are you going to rely on taijutsu from now on since you can't do jutsu?" Kiba asked. Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"I have some taijutsu and fūinjutsu scrolls. Apparently I can still channel chakra, but not in the various ways that handsigns can make it. I think I can still make jutsu, but the molding would have to be done…without handsigns," Naruto said making Kiba gawk. "Is that even possible?!" Kiba asked turning to Ino.

"H-How should I know Baka? Does Genma-sensei know?" Ino asked as Naruto sighed. "I'm sure he does. He was given my medical report," Naruto said making Kiba place a finger to his chin before he looked at Naruto in surprise.

"Is…that why you weren't yourself yesterday? You were mad about your disease?" Kiba asked and Naruto looked away. Judging by the pained expression on his face, Ino smacked Kiba over the head while muttering something about tact, but Naruto didn't pay them any mind. He merely sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Well that's…part of it," Naruto answered honestly. It did feel good to talk, but Naruto doubted that they would have truly known if he had done otherwise. "Man I can't imagine using ninjutsu without handsigns," Kiba said making Ino smack her face.

"Shush you idiot! Stop bringing it up already! Well Naruto, maybe Genma-sensei will help you out when he gets back. We'll force him to if we have to. No one can say no to me!" Ino replied making Naruto frown. He looked at the two almost accusingly. "Why? Why are you guys helping me? You were never this nice to me before," Naruto replied suspiciously. Ino and Kiba paused before Ino snorted, folded her arms and looked away.

"D-D-Don't get ahead of yourself dead last. I still think you're a nuisance and nowhere near as cool as Sasuke-kun, but I think everyone deserves a chance to excel in something, even if the circumstances say otherwise," Ino said as she marched back to the tree while Kiba just shrugged and moved to continue his tree-climbing exercises. Naruto watched them go before looking at the ground. He moved to pick up where he left off with the scroll's fūinjutsu lessons.

Exactly fifteen minutes, later Naruto, Ino and Kiba noticed Genma return to the field. However he wasn't alone as there was a Hyuuga behind him. The Hyuuga seemed to be the same age as Genma give or take a few years. Ino and Kiba quickly stopped their tree exercises. "Genma-sensei, about Naruto not being able to climb trees, as unbelievable as it sounds, he can't use…," Ino began only for Genma to stop.

"I already knew Ino. That's why I have Juin Hyuuga with me here for a few minutes. Alright Naruto perform the tree exercise," Genma said as Naruto nodded. As Naruto moved to the tree, Ino and Kiba grimaces as Juin Hyuuga unleashed his dojutsu, the famed Byakugan of the Hyuuga clan. Juin looked at Naruto as he placed his handsign for channeling his chakra. Naruto then moved to the tree, but the result was the same as Naruto fell to the ground with a hard thud. Juan frowned.

"What do you think?" Genma asked as Juin placed a finger to his chin. "Call him over," Juin said and Genma did so. Once Naruto was back in front of the two shinobi, Juin spoke once again.

"Please perform the handsign for the channeling of chakra that your instructor showed you," Juin said and Naruto didn't nod or speak. He just did as he was asked to do. He made the handsign and channeled his chakra as he was taught to do so growing up. Juin knelt before Naruto and scrunched his face.

"I-Is it that disease?" Kiba asked with a shake in his voice. Juin didn't respond right away before he closed his eyes. "I can see that he truly can't use handsigns. When humans use handsigns it is not only a way of molding chakra, but it also helps in the process of focusing the chakra to a point. I am sure Uzumaki-san was focusing his hardest to get his chakra to go to his feet, but only remained motionless. However when he released the handsign, the chakra was free and could move where it wanted. Its like the chakra refuses to acknowledge handsigns as a way of controlling it. It's not that he can't control his chakra, but its like his chakra needs another means of focusing it now. I believe that with enough training, Uzumaki-san should be able to focus his mind to send his chakra to where it needs to go and to do all the things that shinobi do," Juin said making Genma frown.

"What do you recommend?" Genma asked making Juin sigh. "Until he gets the idea of controlling his chakra mentally and not physically then I would say that he needed to do things over and over until he gets them right. It would take awhile, but I believe it would be for the best," Juin said making Genma nod.

"Thanks Juin," Genma said. Juin merely nodded before he vanished out of sight much to the surprise of Kiba, Naruto and Ino. "Alright Naruto, here's what you're going to do. We'll do a…watered down version of the tree exercise until you grow accustomed to this disability. You will stick to the ground. Walk around this area trying to apply your chakra to your feet as you go. Too light and you won't stick, you will know you're doing it wrong. Too heavy and the ground will crack. Do this until you can't move, like you are glued to the ground then you will know you have it," Genma said. Naruto sighed, but nodded as he placed one foot down on the ground and began walking. He tried with move to place chakra to his feet. He could feel himself acting stupid just shouting at his chakra. _"Go down! Go down! Go down to my feet! Stupid chakra!"_ Naruto grumbled out as he tried to stick to the ground.

It was the middle of the day as Genma stopped everyone. "Alright guys, come together!" Genma cried making his team come together. Ino and Kiba could see the frustration and sweat on Naruto's face. Looking around they could see many footprints in the rows of dirt. Some edges, others cracks. It seemed that Naruto had been hard at work too. Though neither Ino nor Kiba could ever imagine that walking on the solid ground could be tough. "How is it coming Naruto?" Genma asked.

"I'm slowly starting to get it. I just…have to find the right amount to stick, but every time I think I'm close it just puts another dent in the ground," Naruto said making Genma nod. "You knew this wasn't going to be easy and it isn't going to be any easier as you" Genma said. Naruto nodded before Genma clapped his hands.

"Well I would say that we had a productive first day. We'll stop here team. Meet back here at Training Ground One first thing in the morning," Genma said before he vanished out. Ino and KIba sighed as they walked off towards home tiredly.

"Naruto aren't you coming?" Kiba asked making Naruto shake his head. Both saw Naruto continue his exercise on the ground before shaking their heads. "That guy's a stamina-freak I swear. Shouldn't be tired like us?" Ino asked. Kiba snorted as the two walked away leaving the field barren except for Naruto. Once Naruto was sure that the entire coast was clear, he sighed as he stopped walking. He quickly faced the trees.

"Okay, time to make it shake dattebayo!" Naruto said as he rolled his fist back and launched it forward. Naruto's fist collided with the air cracking it. Naruto tightened his fist as an ensuing vibration of quakes ruptured the ground in front of him before flying through the trees ripping them from the ground and making them fall on their sides. _"I wonder if how hard I hit determines the power,"_ Naruto thought to himself before he rolled his fist back again. With a mighty shout, Naruto slammed his fist into the air and what followed was a heavier explosion that destroyed that ground in front of him uprooting everything that he could see. The sounds of the air cracking rang upon his ears before he withdrew his hand back. With a sigh, Naruto clenched his hands.

"Maybe…just maybe I can…," Naruto said as he crossed his fists. With a deep breath he flung both arms out, with a look of surprise he bashed against the air with both fists arms-length at his sides. The air cracked before his fists before explosions came from each side of his body destroying more of the grounds and the trees in a wide thunderous explosion of vibrations that rocked Naruto's feet. The blonde could feel his own body vibrate from the power that erupted from his hands. As the vibrations and explosions settled down, Naruto grinned. "Awesome dattebayo!" Naruto cried out.

"Still, how did I delay it last time? I think I activated it that time before the it was in my apartment. Why didn't it activate instantly like these did? Maybe if I master it more I can…delay it? I dunno, but I guess I'll have to keep trying. I have nothing, but space," Man Naruto really wished he could tell someone he _trusted_ about this, but he had no one like that so he would have to figure it out on his own and for right now he would just have to practice and practice some more. Though speaking of more practicing, Naruto sighed as he turned back to his current task of trying to find the appropriate amount of chakra to stick to the ground. He didn't have handsigns to help manipulate his chakra or help him focus so he had to do that by himself.

"Okay let's try this way. I don't feel any chakra leaving when I use this so this should work," Naruto said as he planted his feet on the ground, he took a step forward before letting out a punch. That punch cracked the air before exploding the ground in front of him. Naruto then took another step and proceeded to do the same thing. For hours, Naruto did this until it became night time. With a groan, Naruto fell this knees exhausted. He didn't know how much chakra he had left. He also felt the sting of his arms upon the usage of his new powers. Naruto panted and wheezed as he surveyed the training ground. Well, one thing was for sure. No one in their right mind was going to use this wasteland of destruction. With a small groan, Naruto leaned up. He'd have to go and get a shower. He also had to wake up in the morning to meet his team and their instructor.

His body heavily resisting, Naruto picked up his supplies and walked, each step an resounding measure of pain through his body as he trudged home. However for the first time in two full days, Naruto Uzumaki's smile couldn't be brighter.

* * *

 _ **KG: My intention to Naruto wasn't to make him broody the entire dic over just a particularly bad birthday, but I need a more cautious Naruto of things around him. One that questions the intentions of everyone now that he's been deceived this badly. I admit I might have gone overboard with him even questioning the intentions of Ayame or Teuchi, but paranoia does that to some people.**_

 _ **KG: As to Naruto's use of this devil fruit, well if you want to say op then you can say that. I won't deny it, but how can I really…de-overpower this fruit? Really? It has the power to destroy the world if used correctly. How do you expect me to de-power that? Even amateurs can cause massive damage with it. So I guess it comes down to experience with it.**_

 _ **KG: I'll be honest I have particular love interest for this fic. I just know if that I have one then it's one that I haven't done yet. Two…maybe three girls at the most. Hell maybe even just one. I dunno. I'm a pervert. I had long since stopped trying to figure out my logic.**_

 _ **KG: Well whatever, Stay Breezy, protect what's important to you, review, and SEND ME CREAM SODA! Also I demand that you all RESPECT THE FUCKIN' CREAM!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**KG: Yawn. Do I have to? I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m tired!**_

 _ **Everloving & Understanding Wife: Yes dear. You have to get up and write. We also have shooting practice today.**_

 _ **KG: Why did i bother to teach you again?**_

 _ **Wifey: Cause ya love meh!**_

 _ **KG: I think I am required by law to.**_

 _ **Honey: Well I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m not required by law to fuck you, but I do.**_

 _ **KG: They**_ _ **…**_ _ **didn**_ _ **'**_ _ **t need to know that.**_

 _ **Music of the Week: Promise Me by Dead by April.**_

 _ **Quote:**_ _ **"**_ _ **Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.**_ _ **"**_ _ **by**_ _ **Paul Tournier**_ _ **.**_

* * *

Naruto awoke with a groan. After all those hours of grueling training in not only trying to control his new power, but also in trying to plant his feet to the ground, Naruto decided to rest up for the next three days. Though his body didn't quite agree with him as he felt the stiffness of his muscles screaming their defiance to do anything. Naruto wasn't about to have his own body betray him as well. So he willed himself out of the bed before swiftly dropping to the ground. Looked like his legs didn't agree with him either.

Walking, or perhaps the best term would have been crawling, to the shower, Naruto managed to discard his clothes and move into the shower. Naruto strained his body with grunts and other unintellectual sounds as he turned on the knob for the shower. He sighed in relief as he felt the steam gently splash onto his body. _"_ _Wait, why don_ _'_ _t I feel tired? I thought I couldn_ _'_ _t touch water anymore,_ _"_ Naruto thought to himself, but he seemed to be moving fine as he flexed his hands. With the hot water relaxing his muscles, Naruto decided to take the time to grab his bar of soap and run down his body. Well if there was one thing Konoha was good for it was their showers. Okay, maybe that was pushing it a little bit. "Hmph, with my luck there is a poison laced in this water," Naruto said with a small snort. As Naruto scrubbed his body…he frowned. Looking at the shower head he glared at it. No way, not even the villagers could get their hands on the kinds of poisons that shinobi could use…could they? Naruto was more than aware that a select group of shinobi bore him some ill will as well. No, perhaps all of Konoha did.

With a heavy sigh, Naruto turned off the shower and washed his body. He then proceeded to eat one bowl of cup ramen before throwing that away. He then moved to grab his shinobi supplies and walk out the door. He still had to meet with his apparent 'team' for their next training session. "I guess I'd better not show up late," Naruto said to himself as he entered the streets. Konoha still looked like it had been in a bad apocalypse movie.

Shops were still rubble and the ground was still violently upheaved. Naruto could actually see some people in worn clothes wandering the streets. Forgive him if he wasn't feeling a bit more sympathetic. Try not to mistake him, Naruto did feel bad. He had no idea how many people he had hurt from the initial destructive quake, but he had done it. All he could do now was control the power he hd to never do it again. Still, Naruto couldn't help feeling a bit….vindictive. Give them a taste of what he had to go through at times.

With a small snort, Naruto made his way over to the training grounds to meet up with his team. Thankfully everyone was too distracted trying to sort everything out to truly pay him any mind. Finally, at least a moment's peace.

-x-

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes as he stared at Genma Shiranui, recent instructor for Ino Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka, and Naruto Uzumaki, along with Iruka Umino. Genma turned an eye towards Iruka as the chunin just finished giving his news. "Is that right Iruka?" the Sandaime asked as Iruka held his head down sadly. He give a swift nod making Genma and Sarutobi look at each other.

"It looks like his birthday took a larger impact on him than we thought. For Naruto-kun to actually contemplate suicide," Hiruzen said making Genma flick his senbon to the left. "I can't say that I blame him. Betrayal like that leads to a life-changing mental state. Hokage-sama, if I may be bold, you have been to lenient with the villagers," Genma said and Hiruzen didn't blame him in the slightest. He actually felt it that way as well. It was actually with these recent developments that he wanted to tell Naruto about his burden, but given his possible mental state then try not to blame Sarutobi if he was a little scared to do so at the moment.

With a heavy sigh, Hiruzen stood to his feet. "I'll have to arrange a psyche evaluation for Naruto-kun with Inoichi if that is indeed the case. Genma, you go meet with your team, but keep a close eye on Naruto-kun. If he does anything out of the ordinary then I want to know about it," Out of anything, Sarutobi never wanted to consider Naruto a flight risk of this kind, but if his surrogate grandson was feeling this way then Sarutobi was going to take every precaution to make sure that this flight risk never even had the opportunity to fester inside the young blonde's mind.

"Maybe we should…have a regular counselor for him. Someone to help him with his problems," Genma said making Iruka frown as he looked down at the ground. "And how would that help when he doesn't even know if he can trust US?! I have seen the way Naruto participated in classes. He was wary. Not just of the academy teachers, but he was wary of even the students. Hokage-sama, I fear to think that we've done much worse to Naruto than we can even comprehend. I don't know the best course of action to take," Iruka said making Genma flick his senbon.

"Well it's good that you don't have to worry about those things. For the next two years, unless he fails the C-rank mission, then he isn't your concern anymore. He is mine. I'll figure out what to do with him," Genma said before bowing, stepping on his heel, and walking out the door leaving Sarutobi and Iruka in the room. As the two watched him go, Hiruzen released a puff of smoke from his pipe. "In a sense, he is right Iruka, but I understand your concerns. However we'll have to leave it to the jonin-sensei for right now. However a mission for you from me, please inform Inoichi-san that I wish to see him," Hiruzen said. Iruka didn't speak. He just nodded, bowed and then left without a word. This left Sarutobi alone as he looked over the village, which still looked a lot worse for wear. With a heavy sigh, Hiruzen tipped off his hat. He was getting too old for this.

-x-

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he tried to keep with his exercise of sending his chakra to his feet though without handsigns. He still felt so ridiculous as he watched Kiba and Ino make more attempts to climb up the trees. Three days of this nonsense and still nothing! Cautious as he was, Naruto still couldn't lose his competitive nature and he hated it when he was the last to do something. It only served to remind him of his place in the academy. He had read the scroll that Sarutobi had been…suspiciously kind to give him about chakra control. It spoke that the key to controlling one's chakra was focus, but…Naruto didn't know how to focus! God, what was that stupid thing Iruka said about focusing?

Still perhaps Naruto would have had better luck focusing if he didn't feel the eyes of his recent jonin instructor on him. Every time Naruto turned around to look at the man his eyes were either on Kiba, Ino or sometimes him to make sure he was doing the exercise right, but Naruto always felt that when his back was turned, Genma was looking at him for different reasons. Did someone tell him to keep an eye on him or something? Was he doing something wrong? No way they were trying to spy on him now, were they?

With a deep breath, there was nothing he could do about it right now anyway so he moved back to his exercise. Naruto stared at his feet. If chakra worked on focus then….perhaps Naruto found a way after all! He quickly stopped his exercises and ran over to his pouch much to Genma's curiosity. Pulling out his scroll, Naruto read through it one more time to be sure of what he was looking at. He skimmed his eyes over the words before he blinked. He slowly nodded before he closed the scroll and placed it away.

Genma watched Naruto head back to the ground. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath and looked down at his feet. He placed his left foot in the air before gently placing it down. Naruto took another step and placed his other foot on the ground. He then attempted to raise his other foot…only for it to remain connected to the dirt and grass. Naruto widened his eyes as he looked down at his feet. Despite past events, the ear-splitting smile on his face would have nearly concerned anyone if they were to look at him. Naruto turned around to face Genma. "I did it!" Naruto proclaimed only to hear thumps. He noticed Kiba groan as he rubbed his head while Ino did the same.

"Quit shouting baka!" Ino hollered as she rubbed her sore head. Genma leaned himself from the tree he was leaning on and moved over to Naruto. Genma looked over Naruto's posture. He definitely did look planted to the ground. With a small shove, he pushed against Naruto's body, but as a testament to the blonde's word, he hadn't moved. "Looks like you got it Naruto, though I am interested. Just what were you doing differently from the previous days?" Genma asked and Kiba and Ino rejoined their teammates. Finding himself, Naruto took a small breath. He could see their eyes expecting his answer so he didn't withhold it.

"My sandals are blue," Naruto said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. His teammates and sensei blinked before Kiba palmed his face. "No duh idiot! All our sandals are blue!" Kiba said making Naruto narrow his eyes. He just gave them the answer right there. What was hard about it?

"I think you'll have to give up a more in-depth answer Naruto. What does your sandals being blue have to do with you sticking to the ground?" Genma asked making Naruto sigh. With another nod, Naruto pointed down to his shoes. "The scroll that Jiji gave me said that if one focuses on a spot then naturally some chakra will follow that focus. That got me thinking, what if I focus on a place where it was near my feet. So I focused all my attention on my sandals. Then there had to be something about my sandals that I could focus on. My sandals were blue so while I was focusing on the color of my sandals and where they were, some of my chakra was able to go to where my focus was and I was able to stick to the ground," Naruto explained as best he could. Ino and Kiba were easy to comprehend for Naruto with their expressions, but Genma's wasn't so easy. He was just looking at Naruto, an act that made the blond more wary than he probably should've been.

"I think that's why Iruka sense had us do those leaf and kunai exercises. It was about focusing on a specific spot and keeping it that way. I think that's what it was all about," Naruto further explained. Ino was the first to shake herself out of her stupor. "But how did you get the amount of chakra to do that? Remember your disability? You can't use handsigns anymore. So how did you focus the amount without crushing the ground?" Ino asked. Trust her that she and Kiba had been watching Naruto grow more and more frustrated with each day. His footsteps would sometimes leave craters in the ground while other times they would be only light enough for him to just walk. It must have been hard, but how did he find that amount.

"I don't know if I found the right amount, but I think the amount that went to my feet naturally was enough for me to stick," Naruto said. Ino would have smacked him over the head for the answer if she felt he wasn't being serious, but it seemed that lately Naruto needed as much encouragement as he could get. "Well regardless, you have done the exercise. I suppose I could have you try tree-walking now. Though I will only give you an hour. After that we will work on one teamwork exercise then we will have our lunch break. We'll then meet back here for individual training. Go," Genma said before walking off.

For Naruto, one could assume that with his new found knowledge on applying focus, then he would have mastered tree-walking rather quickly. "Dammit!" Naruto shouted as he rubbed the back of his head. Obviously, they were fuckin' wrong. Naruto glared up at the tree. However it wasn't out of the usual hate. This time he had actually made it about four steps before falling off. Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't take the easy route and get a head start running up the tree like Kiba and Ino. He didn't have the focus for that, yet! So he could only walk. Naruto also imagined that Genma was knowledgeable about the flaw in Naruto's tactic. When Naruto had been walking on the ground, he had been looking directly at his sandals, so he could focus better. However walking up a vertical…anything, it was hard to look at one's feet of all things. With a sigh, Naruto looked at the shoe print he had left in the tree. Looks like that was too much chakra. With a grunt, Naruto pushed himself up. He would have liked to practice his Fūinjutstu since that was one of the things he could do…more easily without handsigns. He did also want to practice with his other powers, but he felt he might have needed a better outlet than what he had available to him. He very well didn't want to be the cause of any deaths or anymore destruction than he had caused.

With the hour having passed by, and no progress being made, Genma gathered Naruto, Ino and Kiba together. "I suppose I did say we wouldn't take any missions until you guys learned tree-walking, but before all of that," Genma said as he blindfolded Ino and Naruto. He then nodded. Kiba watched their jonin-sensei tie a large piece of bamboo to Ino's arms and legs. "Naruto, bend down and feel your hands for large pieces of bamboo!" Genma instructed. Being blindfolded, Naruto felt around the ground for sticks of bamboo. Feeling what he thought they were, he slowly picked them up…only to hear Ino shriek as her body fell to the ground.

"You idiot, what are you doing?!" Ino asked making Naruto frown. "Picking up bamboo sticks. What does it look like I'm trying to do?!" Naruto asked getting increasingly irritated with this current situation. Kiba and Akamaru grinned at the sight while Genma shook his head.

"I don't know! I'm blindfolded you dolt!" Ino snarled back. Naruto took a deep breath to get rid of the small headache of the day that was actually beginning to form in his head. He was about to retort back before Genma cleared his throat.

"Alright then we will now commence the exercise. For shinobi synchronization is key to any mission. Thoughts must be one as well as action. Kiba will yell out a random taijutsu kata style. You will work this out between the three of you," Genma said before leaning against a tree. Naruto tried to move his left leg which caused Ino to move her own. With a grumble, Naruto heard Kiba shout. "Academy Defensive Taijutsu Style #34!" Kiba shouted. Naruto cursed as he racked his brain for that particular taijutsu style before sighing as he slowly brought his foot back, however he gasped as Ino's right foot came forward. Both tugged on the other sending them to the ground. Genma sweatdropped while Naruto growled.

"Dammit Naruto would you cooperate for once in your life?! That was the style with the right forward kick!" Ino shouted making Naruto snarl. "No it was a back kick to the left! I know because Taijutsu was one of the grades I was good in!" Naruto called out. Genma rolled his eyes at the ten-year olds bickering before turning to Kiba. He whispered something in the Inuzuka heir's ear before moving away. Kiba sighed as he spoke.

"Right kick!" Kiba shouted. Naruto raised his right leg and in conjunction, Ino did the same before both kicked outwards. "Right punch, Left punch combo!" Kiba commanded. Naruto swiftly formed a right and left punch while Ino tried to do the same.

"You're chaffing my skin Naruto. Watch it!" Ino growled making Naruto snort. "Whatever," was Naruto's reply. Oh he would get his fellow blond back for this situation as well as their damnable devil of a sensei. Naruto was going to leave them all in a quake of rubble to never be found by any form of civilization again!

Twenty minutes later, a bruised and battered Ino and Naruto panted as they dropped to the ground as they pulled the blindfolds off their faces. It didn't help the blondes anger that their other male teammates laughing his ass off at them both. "Why did you kick like that when he just said kick! You just had to kick straight!" Ino shouted while Naruto growled. "Maybe if you weren't always trying to do your own thing and just let me guide you then we would have done it dattebayo!" Naruto shouted before snarling. Genma looked between the two of them before sighing. Two years with this team. It just didn't seem possible in Genma's mind. Looking over how Kiba was commanding them, Genma could see where it was most likely something was going to go wrong.

Suddenly Naruto shot to his feet. "Fine it's my fault! It's always my fault when things don't go as they should! Fine, go ahead and blame me for everything! That's the only good anyone in this damn village can do anyway, besides trying to drown people just for existing! I bet you would want to do it right now wouldn't you? Well screw you Ino!" Naruto shouted before he spun on his heel and stomped off. Ino was in too much shock to be surprised at Naruto's outburst. Genma narrowed his eyes as he pushed himself off the tree.

"Naruto, this was an exercise. Mistakes are bound to come up. I made this to merely help you all grow as a team. No matter what happened, it was impossible for you to get it right immediately," Genma said making Naruto snarl. "Don't sugarcoat it _sensei_. You just want to fail me like all the rest. I'm just a menace after all!" Naruto growled out as his form got smaller and smaller.

"Oi Naruto, where are you going?!" Kiba hollered. For as long as Kiba had known Naruto, the blond had been rather happy-go-lucky sometimes. Outbursts from Naruto were rather few and far in-between. Even with some of the blonde's more…feral-like behavior which, Kiba admitted, drew him to the blonde, he still wouldn't be so…angry as right now. For Kiba, who had seen Naruto as a rival and as a friend, it wasn't so out of the ordinary for him to be concerned.

"It's none of your business. Not like you all would care anyway. Knowing my luck the three of you would stab me with a kunai in my back," Naruto said with a small glare before he walked off. Kiba quickly moved to lose the distance that Naruto gained over them, but a hand from Genma stopped him. Kiba turned back to his sensei. "We'll leave Naruto to his thoughts for right now. We have an hour lunch. If he doesn't come back then I'll get him. For now, let's just leave him his space," Genma said with a sigh. Truthfully he didn't want to leave Naruto alone now that he was convinced the blonde had…suicidal tendencies, but he didn't want to make the situation bigger than it was. Then again Genma could also understand why Naruto would be short with just about anyone. This was going to be a long two years.

-x-

Meanwhile, Naruto growled as he entered Konoha's streets. He disregarded the stares of anger and, dare he say, fear as he stomped through the crowds. _"_ _I made this merely to help you all grow as a team,_ _"_ were the words that constantly rang through Naruto's mind. Help? Naruto didn't need anymore help! Help them all grow? What a joke. More like help Ino and Kiba grow while Naruto just made them look good with how much of a loser they were going to make out of him. Naruto admitted he was an idiot at times, but he was no one's fool!

Suddenly Naruto stopped walking. He looked up at the sky for a moment before he sighed. He then felt his stomach grumble. Of course doing all those exercises that Genma had made their squad do would have left Naruto hungry. Well he had put it off enough. He supposed he could drop by Ichiraku Ramen and get something to eat before heading back. Cautious he was, Naruto still wanted to prove everyone wrong and the first step was in not being a quitter. Life didn't get better for those who quit. It only got worse. "Guess I'll head over there now," Naruto figured to himself as he walked off with purpose.

It wasn't hard to find the small ramen stand, despite being one of the only buildings still standing from the rubble, it was also one of the places he was most familiar with. Naruto knew better to find Ichiraku than he probably knew to find any other place. A person had to always know where their next meal was coming from. It was probably an additional plus that the father-daughter duo who worked the stand had until this moment… _seemed_ nice enough to Naruto. He had known them a good number of years.

Naruto came into the stand. "Hey Naruto, how's my number one customer doing?" came the voice of the mature man, Teuchi Ichiraku. The large smile on his face was easy for Naruto to ascertain, at least he hoped so. Deciding not to bother the man with his current problems for…other reasons, Naruto just smiled and took a seat. "Doing good old man. Just got done with a teamwork exercise. I didn't go well," Naruto said making Teuchi take a glance at his favorite customer's expression.

"Hey cheer up kid. I would think that the Future Hokage of Konoha wouldn't let something like this get him down," Teuchi said with a reassuring grin. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the grin, but just settled for nodding as he remembered his original purpose for coming over here. With a small sigh, Naruto glanced up. "Ne, old man, thanks for saving me, you and Ayane-chan. Thanks for saving me from drowning five days ago," Naruto said in a tone that Teuchi just couldn't identify. He couldn't tell if Naruto was either happy to be saved or sad that such a thing occurred.

If Teuchi were honest, him and Ayame saving Naruto hadn't been mere coincidence, but it hadn't been planned either. They had seen how some of the villagers had been treating Naruto that day. They had even participated in some of the festivities. However Ayame had made an offering that she and her father would go home to get the special coupons from their home that they wanted to give to Naruto so they left. They had only returned just in time to see the masses carry off the unconscious blond into the woods. Both had watched from behind some trees as people whispered to themselves before doing the unthinkable and throwing Naruto in the water. Teuchi and Ayame had always known Naruto could swim well. Hell, on one of their off days they actually helped Naruto with swimming lessons. Something about a fantasy of swimming in a broth of ramen or something like that. Nevertheless they were surprised when Naruto didn't surface. Like a bat out of hell, Ayame dashed from the trees shouting obscenities at the villagers before, without regard to her Ichiraku uniform, dove into the water with Teuchi right behind her. Both pulled Naruto from the water only to watch him gurgle water from his mouth. They ignored the look of hatred sent their way as they tried to get Naruto to the hospital. It hadn't been one of the best days Teuchi and Ayame could say that they witnessed. It was actually one that they feared. They should have been more alert. That was all they could have thought about.

"Think nothing of it kid. I can't apologize enough for all of that. Just happy you're alright. Here, sorry it's so late, but we wanted to give you these," Teuchi said placing ten coupons for free ramen in front of Naruto. Naruto looked at them and couldn't resist the small smile on his face as he grabbed them. Maybe, he was just being an idiot and overthinking everything. "Here kid, no coupon, this one's on the house. Eat up, its something new I'm working with," Teuchi said placing a piping hot bowl of ramen in front of Naruto. The scent drove Naruto made with desire as he broke his was ready to dive in and take a bite before the door in the back opened.

"Hey Tou-san, I'm back from the mark….Naruto-kun!" Naruto looked up to see Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, looking at him in surprise, worry, and something else that he couldn't identify. "You're alright," Ayame said as she grabbed Naruto into a hug. Naruto groaned as he felt the air escape his lungs.

"Aya…me…chan, yo…u're….crushing….me!" Naruto exclaimed making Ayame let him go as he fell back to his seat. Naruto coughed as he dropped down. "How are you feeling Naruto-kun? I was worried about you," Ayame said making Naruto frown. How was he? He was tired and sick to his stomach from the constant reminder.

"I'm alright Ayame-chan. I just…wasn't careful enough. It was my fault, but thank you guys for saving me. I really mean it," Naruto said making Ayame nod. "You're welcome, but no. It's not your fault Naruto-kun, it's those damn people!" Ayame said making Teuchi narrow his eyes.

"Ayame! Watch your mouth!" Teuchi said making Ayame scratch her cheek. "Gomen Tou-san, but it's true and you know it," Ayame said. Teuchi wasn't about to fault her for her logic or for her feelings on the matter. Especially not since he felt the same way about the situation.

"Well it was a tragedy avoided. We have our favorite customer right here about to eat my newest addition to the menu. You'll like it Naruto. It's to die for!" Teuchi said making Naruto shake his head with a small chuckle. Teuchi and Ayame smiled as they watched Naruto slip his chopsticks into the ramen. With a small grin Naruto slurped up the noodles. Ah the broth was awesome! It was amazing! So were the noodles! Everything about the dish was amazing! Dare Naruto say this dish was…heavenly!

Suddenly, Naruto paused. His throat, it felt hot. It also felt dry. Naruto coughed as his eyes began to water. With a heavy cough, Naruto lurched forward and grabbed his throat. He let out another cough as the burning sensation in his esophagus clutched itself together like a bug to a tree stump. Naruto widened his eyes as he looked back at Teuchi and Ayame. The two continued to smile. "What do you think of my new recipe kid? I worked hard on it," Teuchi said with a wider grin. Naruto shivered in place. He…He…worked hard on it? Teuchi actually planned this?! Even…even them…everyone! everything! nothing! It was all here!

Teuchi and Ayame widened their eyes and gasped as Naruto pushed the bowl of ramen away and staggered back. His terrified eyes stared into their own as he grabbed his own throat. "Naruto-kun? Naruto-kun are you alright?" Ayame asked as she held out a hand. Naruto quickly shied away and ran off down the street, the terror in his eyes evident. "Naruto-kun, wait!" Ayame shouted, but Naruto was long away from their view. The spilled contents of the ramen and its bowl lingered on the table. Ayame looked down at the bottle, startled by what just happened.

"Dad, what did you put in that ramen?!" Ayame asked making Teuchi frown. "All-New Extreme Habanero Ramen! I was having Naruto test it," Teuchi said making Ayame sigh as she looked in the direction, Naruto had gone.

Meanwhile, Naruto, in his apartment, wretched into the sink of his kitchen. E…Even Teuchi and Ayame were against him! Could it have all been a lie? No, Naruto thought he knew Teuchi and Ayame they wouldn't do it to him. They…they wouldn't have bothered to save him from drowning if they hated him.

" _Well it was a tragedy avoided. We have our favorite customer right here about to eat my newest addition to the menu. You_ _'_ _ll like it Naruto. It_ _'_ _s to die for!_ _"_ Their…their favorite customer? Naruto knew that he liked ramen. He licked it more than any other food that he could buy. But…their favorite customer…or their _only_ customer? No, Naruto couldn't support Teuchi and Ayame on his own, no matter how much ramen he ate. He would have needed a small fortune for himself. He couldn't be their only customer. Still, this tingly feeling in Naruto's throat and stomach. He felt…sick. With a final heave of his lunch, Naruto ran over to his refrigerator filled with water, and other foods.

"No more! No more dattebayo! STOP IT!" Naruto shouted as he clenched his fist and destroyed his table sending it crashing to the ground. He then swiftly grabbed the foods and waters, then pulled them out of his refrigerator. He went into his cabinets and pulled out the tons of cup ramen he had stored away. Tampered! It was all tampered! No matter what he ate, they were going to kill him, knock him unconscious, or wipe his memory if given the chance. Naruto wouldn't let them get that chance!

Stuffing the food into the bags, Naruto stomped outside and stuffed them into trash bins with a small huff. Naruto marched back into his room and looked closed the door. A small glare rested upon his face as his tightened his fists. Naruto gasped when he looked down and noticed the white orb surrounding his fists yet again. With a hard swallow, Naruto took a deep breath and calmed himself. He slid down his door before he rested on the ground. "Nice going me. I just threw out all of my food like an idiot," Naruto said as he heard his stomach growl since he hadn't eaten much. His throat had been returning to normal. With another sigh, Naruto went out into the village. Thinking realistically, if the village wanted the poison him then they could only do it a handful of times. Plus each and every single type of food that they sold couldn't be tampered with. That would have been detrimental to not just Naruto, but also to the village at large. Naruto at least had that going for him. Self-preservation was always more beneficial to people than their hate at times. Someone would work with someone else that they absolutely hated just to survive. Surviving and living was just that meaningful to people. Naruto was no different.

-x-

Genma watched Naruto return to the field eating a bag of chips and a sandwich that he had gotten from one of the local vendors. No way could that be tampered with without consequences to the population. Ino sent a small glare Naruto's way while Kiba remained silent. Naruto quickly finished his sandwich and his bag of chips before putting them in a small grocery bag before setting it to the side.

Seeing his team together, Genma sighed. "We all thinking rationally now? Everyone calm?" Genma asked. Kiba nodded and so did Naruto. Ino sent a glance to Naruto, but sighed and nodded as well. Genma flicked his senbon through his mouth. Looking at the three genin, Genma closed his eyes.

"Good….twenty laps," Genma said making the three look at him in surprise. "Naruto, you left before your commanding officer could dismiss you. A shinobi going off on their own is a flight risk under any circumstance. Ino, you disrespected a teammate which could lead to not only the failure of a mission, but also the death of your entire squad. Kiba, you saw both your teammates arguing and did nothing to remember the task at hand. All three of you have formed errors and will be punished accordingly. Now start your laps," Genma said to them. Naruto ran past Kiba and Ino and proceeded to start his laps. Ino and Kiba slowly started behind him. Genma watched them go. He bent down and picked up…several rusted kunai. This was punishment, not standard practicing.

After their twenty laps, Naruto, Ino and Kiba continued to glare at their sensei with as much hatred as they could muster. Genma just smiled at them before clapping his hands. "Alright now then, let's all kiss and make up. Naruto, Kiba, Ino, apologize to one another. I mean you don't have to. I always wanted to run around the Konoha walls forty times with some of my friends firing Katon techniques at me," Genma said making Naruto, Ino and Kiba gawk. Even Akamaru whimpered at the imposed threat.

"Sorry Ino. Sorry Kiba," Naruto said though his very being told him to resist doing so. "Sorry Naruto. Sorry Kiba," Ino apologized as well. Swiftly Kiba followed in suit of his teammates and apologized as well making Genma give a somewhat pleasant smile on his face.

"Well I suppose tomorrow we can start individual training now. I would have you all refine your chakra control, but we can hold that after we're done with our lesson here. After that i will assess your affinities. Hmmm, Naruto you first," Genma said making Naruto firmly nod. He had quite a bit of frustrations he would have liked to release on his jonin instructor.

It couldn't have even been called a spar. For Naruto it was actually an ass-kicking with a side of humility. If Naruto could say one thing, it was that their jonin instructor, despite his laid back attitude, was the real deal. Now Naruto was an even bigger huffing mess on the ground while Genma just looked amused as a result. If there was one thing Naruto thought about himself it was that he was a rather adept fighter. Being alone had a way of hardening one's desire to fight to prove their worth. Naruto had to surmise that for Genma this was nothing, but a child trying to show power to an adult. It just wasn't there.

-x-

Ayame walked with purpose through the broken streets of Konohagakure. As she looked around, she couldn't help sighing at the destruction. A mere series of unfortunate circumstances at best. She was relieved that her father's stand wasn't ruined by the surrounding debris, but it didn't make her feel any better that some people were homeless, without power, or without workable plumbing. Though if Ayame was feeling a little vindictive she would have said that it was merely the village's Karma for ruining a certain someone's birthday with their cruel lies. She couldn't imagine the swirl of feelings in Naruto right now.

Well, that was her destination in mind actually. Once Naruto stormed out of the ramen stand with something akin to fear in his eyes, Ayame had been worried about him through the hours. It had affected her work in some areas which had her father telling her to go and check on the blonde. He also asked her to send Naruto an apology from him for the predicament he had put him in. Ayame decided to do so. Just for courtesy she wanted to give Naruto an apology as well. She knew the blonde's love for particular miso ramen. Which she had in a bag. A sort of peace offering, if you would.

It wasn't hard to find Naruto's apartment. Ayame had been there multiple times in her life. Sometimes for giving Naruto takeout, and other times for some of the blonde's…other birthdays. Actually Ayame had been going so many times that Naruto had the Sandaime actually make a another key to his home for Ayame and Teuchi if they wanted to pop in. "Okay Ayame, you can do this," Ayame said with a firm nod as she walked up the stairs. Quickly finding Naruto room number, she knocked on the door.

"Naruto-kun, are you there?" Ayame asked. No response once she waited for a few moments. Ayame knocked a few more times asking of Naruto had been in, but she didn't get anyway responses. With a sigh, Ayame fished in her pocket and pulled out her key. Quickly opening the door, Ayame stepped inside and gasped. Her eyes beamed in on the destroyed remnants of Naruto's table. With a frown, she looked over the rooms, everything seemed to be in order as far as she was concerned. It didn't look like forced entry. Nothing seemed to be taken. Not even his bedroom was tampered with.

Moving back to the main room, Ayame knelt before the fridge and opened it. She widened her eyes seeing how empty it was. She quickly moved over to the cabinets and opened them. Empty. Cupboards….empty. Everything food-related was empty. Was Naruto even eating? Did he have the money to eat?

Ayame dropped her bowl of takeout ramen on the counter of the sink. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. She had just gotten paid last month and she didn't feel the need to buy anything…before now. With a smile, Ayame dashed out of the room and hit the streets.

-x-

Meanwhile, Genma looked at Naruto with an interested expression. Genma had remembered the blonde's grades in Taijutsu. They weren't inherently awful. Actually the blonde showed promise in that area. Genma didn't show it, but Naruto had tripped him up several times with some unorthodox methods and blows, but Genma also noticed that Naruto's punches like a usual…'oomph' to them. It was like there was something making the blond hold back. Genma had a feeling that Naruto knew what it was too, but just wasn't saying. Well until it became a problem, Genma would allow Naruto to attempt to deal with the issue himself. Still great improvement overall. "Very good then, Kiba, you're turn," Genma ordered making the dog boy grin while Akamaru leapt to his side.

In Genma's mind, this fight had been a little…easier to deal with. Sure Kiba was more…rowdy that Naruto was and his taijutsu was more refined, but he didn't have Naruto's unpredictability in last minute situations. Over the course of the fight Kiba had attempted to…prove dominance over Genma, something that most Inuzuka try to do in sparring matches, but Genma had forced Kiba to submit rather easily. Overall, he had some work to do with the Inuzuka as well.

Last, but not least had to be Ino. Genma sighed. Genma was going to say this as general as possible. Females were naturally perceived to be the weaker sex even when it came to shinobi. Some would counter him by pointing out Senju Tsunade, perceived strongest woman in the world and greatest medic in the world, but Genma was trying to be real here. Ino was…complicated. The girl was really…a blank slate. In Genma's eyes she didn't train apart from these sessions and maybe those that she had with her family. She was rather thing. A good figure, for a civilian, but not one for a shinobi. Her taijutsu was lackluster in all aspects. Genma released another pent up sigh. This team was just a comedy of errors. Not to say that Genma didn't like being given a challenge every now and then. He just nodded as Ino looked like she was about to heave up her already probably non-existent breakfast. Genma never understood fasting or fad diets.

"Well good job all of you. We got a good amount of sweat in and I learned about all three of you. Now I just need to plan a schedule to work with you three," Genma said more to himself. The three merely tried to catch their breath as fast as possible before Genma had them do something even more insane. That something was right up Genma's alley.

"Alright chop chop, let's get to our feet. Sun's about to set. Last thing I need to see before we all go home. First things first, does anyone remember the five elemental affinities?" Genma asked. It was at this that Naruto answered.

"There is water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning," Naruto repeated from what he had learned a few days ago. Genma slowly nodded before he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Very good Naruto. Now did anyone realize that their chakra corresponds with one or more of these elements?" Genma asked. Judging by the looks of shock on everyone's faces, Genma could see that they hadn't known that. Naruto was understandable, but it looked like the clans weren't teaching elemental affinities just yet. Well Genma would remedy that soon enough.

Taking one of his hands out his pocket, he opened said hand and revealed three slips of papers. "This is known as chakra paper. It is specially designed to work with chakra to find a person's elemental affinity. If you have fire then it will burn, if you have water then it will soak, earth and it will crumble to dust, wind and it will slice, lightning and it will crinkle. Now then let's go…in order of those who climbed the tree first. She-blondie, you're up!" Genma said making Ino's eyebrow twitch. She snatched the paper and held it in front of everyone. Channeling her chakra through the paper she was holding. Everyone waited for a few moments. Ino watched the paper soak itself into a puddle of water before it crumbled into dust. Ino blinked while Genma narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm earth affinity with a small water affinity. Very good She-blondie," Genma said making Ino snarl while Kiba cackled. "Figures you would get earth. You're so hardheaded it's a wonder you're a girl!" Kiba guffawed. Genma rose an eyebrow and Naruto blinked as Kiba shot past him into a tree. Akamaru ran to comfort his master while Ino snarled.

"Up yours dog-breath!" Ino snarled making Genma sweatdrop. Naruto shook his head and tried hard to keep the smirk off his face. He had indeed found the comment funny despite himself. He would have actually laughed too if he was in the mood for it. He really didn't feel like getting hit. "Alright, with Kiba Inuzuka…indisposed, Naruto it's your turn," Genma said handing Naruto a piece of paper. Naruto looked at the paper for a moment before he exhaled. It shouldn't be hard to channel chakra into a piece of paper. Especially since Naruto could focus on the paper itself.

With some time, and Kiba's rejoining, everyone noticed the paper slice in half along with a couple drips of water. "Hmmm wind. Of course you had to get the one I had the most trouble with. Well at least you have a minor water affinity. I'm pretty good with those," Genma said and Naruto just couldn't help seeing some form of cruel irony in there somewhere that he really wished he didn't recognize.

Meanwhile with Kiba's involvement, Genma gave the paper to the Inuzuka revealing another earth element and a minor in fire. Okay, a pretty well-rounded group of elementals if Genma ever truly saw one. "Good. Well then we'll stop here for today. I'll work on ninjutsu and genjutsu tomorrow. Perhaps we can take a D-rank mission to get some experience for you. I warn you, it's going to be boring. Imagine the number one boring thing that you've ever had to do and magnify it by five and you will get a D-rank mission, but in your case I would rather call them teamwork exercises. Well get out of here you three," Genma said making Naruto, Ino and Kiba groan.

"If they're boring then give us something awesome! We could get a C-rank! We could fight other shinobi, save nobles, maybe even become the awesome heroes of a country!" Kiba said. Genma would have laughed if he didn't find the statement so ridiculous. "First, the three of you can't do a C-rank because a C-rank requires a number of D-ranks and as I said earlier, you must consider that D-ranks are teamwork building exercises. I'll be honest, your teamwork sucks as demonstrated by the three of you earlier today. Dealing with genin is the job of a jonin instructor, but if I suggest that if you want higher missions then whatever the three of you had in the academy, you drop it. Dismissed," Genma said making Naruto look down at the ground as he clenched his fists. Teamwork? That required trust and Naruto was all out of that! He doubted he would have even be full of it ever again.

Kiba and Ino left without a word which Naruto was surprised by, but what also surprised him was that Genma wasn't leaving as well. Naruto and Genma exchanged a look. "Well? I said dismissed," Genma reiterated making Naruto curse underneath his breath. "I…would like to stay here and continue some more training," Naruto said making Genma raise an eyebrow.

"Oh? Did my training not drain you enough? I see I'll have to revise my schedule if someone still wants to train," Genma said. Truth be told, he didn't want to leave Naruto here. Not because he thought _it_ was dangerous, but because he thought _Naruto_ was dangerous…to himself. Now granted, Genma wasn't going to follow his student around 24/7 just on the assumption that he would try to kill himself, but Genma couldn't, in good conscience, concede to this.

Naruto shivered at the prospect of more of Genma's training, but he really wanted to work on his powers back in the special place he had found two days ago. It had actually been an accident when Naruto tried more experimenting, but he had found a rather interesting place where he figured he could train without any distractions. Right now, Genma was being one of them. "I…I won't stay long. I just know I need more training than Ino and Kiba, and I need to get this down!" Naruto said a little more…fiercely than he had intended.

Now Genma knew what Naruto said was true, but it wasn't out of the ordinary for aspiring shinobi to practice their techniques in their homes. Now either Naruto was afraid he would damage the walls or his floor from trying to climb with his feet, or he was hiding something that he didn't want Genma to be looking at. "And just what kind of training are you going to be doing?" Genma asked making Naruto grumble.

"Tree-walking, leaf-balancing, and some shurikenjutsu. I might not have the best control of my chakra, but I can still worker harder than anyone else. Is that enough?" Naruto asked suspiciously. Normally he figured that a jonin-sensei would be happy that a student was trying to get in extra training, but then again the normal didn't happen around Naruto. No way was this man concerned about Naruto's wellbeing. He didn't even truly know Naruto, but Naruto doubted anyone did. Was…the Hokage sending him to spy on Naruto? Was…he keeping tabs on Naruto for the council? Was he so vehement about Naruto not being here that he had to go home to…expect something?

"You just want to hold me back don't you?" Naruto asked lowly. Genma frowned as Naruto huffed. "Of course you would. You're no different from the Academy teachers. No one ever wants me to improve. Not you, not the Academy, not Hokage-Jiji, NOT ANYONE! Is my life a game to you?! I bet if I was Sasuke you wouldn't have thought twice about me training here. We're both orphans, why am I treated like this by all of you?! Well forget you!" Naruto snarled out before he turned and stomped away leaving Genma in the field. The jonin-sensei merely gave a hard sigh and rubbed the back of his head. Just great. This was going to be harder than Genma thought.

-x-

Naruto was pissed off. He was actually so pissed he ignored the looks from the villagers as he made his way home. _"_ _Hmph, screw them. Screw all of them! I know I can be awesome! I don_ _'_ _t need them!_ _"_ Naruto thought to himself as he marched up the stairs to his apartment room. Great, now he was going to have to sneak to his spot to train. Well Naruto would just grab some food from….nowhere. _"_ _Shoot, I threw it all away!_ _"_ Naruto panicked as he slumped his shoulders. In his anger he had done the most stupid thing he could have done.

Fishing out his keys, Naruto slowly opened his door and walked through. The first thing Naruto took note of that surprised him was…Ayame sleeping on a new table in the middle of his room. Naruto would have screamed on her intrusion of his space if he didn't remember he had given her a spare key for deliveries or drops like that. She seemed to be sleeping now that Naruto could see. He narrowed his eyes at the bowl of ramen in the table. Forgive him, but he really wasn't in the mood for ramen after today. Still Naruto looked over his house and the various rooms. everything seemed to be in place. He then opened the cabinets to find them stacked with various foods. The same was said for his refrigerator. It was filled with water, juice, and various other foods that could be cooked at Naruto's convenience.

"Did…she buy all of this…for me? Why would she spend her hard earned money on me? Ayame-chan…," Naruto spoke before looking back at her sleeping. Despite himself, and the fact that the ramen was probably cold, Naruto could still smell the sweet, tempting aroma of miso in that ramen bowl.

Naruto walked over to the table and looked at the bowl. It was right next to a note. Naruto picked it up and shivered. _"_ _Sorry about lunch Naruto-kun. Dad put in too much Habanero sauce. Dad apologizes too. I know you like Miso so cheer up. I tried to make it myself,_ _"_ The note read as Naruto clenched it in his hands. Habanero sauce. His throat was burning from fuckin' habanero sauce. Naruto chuckled dryly. Poison, yeah right. Now Naruto felt like even worse than he felt mad abut everything else. The odds that this was a ploy, with Naruto's luck, were really high, but…Naruto wasn't sure. Right now he was just mentally exhausted.

Grabbing a blanket, Naruto pulled the cover over Ayame before taking the bowl and moving into his room. He quickly placed his stuff down and looked at the bowl. He was gambling right now. Gambling that what Ayame said was true. If the possibility that she was wrong and she did want to kill him via poison in the ramen…then…Naruto would…just leave. He would merely leave without a word. For once, Naruto wasn't sure why, he hoped he was wrong. Taking the chopsticks, he broke them and placed the noodles to his mouth. Naruto slurped up the noodles savoring their taste. Cautious or not, Uzumaki Naruto could still enjoy the sweet sensation of ramen on his palette. Sure they were cold, but their taste hadn't diminished. It could have almost made Naruto cry.

As Naruto finished his ramen, he drank the broth before giving a small sigh of contentment. The noodles filled his stomach amazingly. With his stomach now full, Naruto quickly moved himself to taking out the scroll that Sarutobi had given him. He wanted to continue in some brush strokes of his and since he didn't trust Genma to not still be there until the dead of night, Naruto decided to take his time with his fūinjutsu lessons. When it came to writing, Naruto figured he would have been bored right off the bat, but the lessons were actually interesting. Tales of people sealing in even the elements amazed him. They even sealed something called the Bijuu in humans granting them immense power. Still right now his lessons started out with him drawing and writing as best he could taking note of the brush strokes. Naruto would have liked to work on his taijutsu as well, but he figured he might as well not with Ayame sleeping in the main room. Speaking of Ayame, Naruto didn't feel weird so far so that was a plus in his book. "Okay time to start on lesson 34. Ehhhhhhhhhh?!" Naruto exclaimed as he read the lesson plans, his spirit being more broken than it already was.

Four hours later, it was now nighttime. Naruto pulled up his black clothes and pulled his hood over his head. He picked up his backpack and headed for the door. As he touched the doorknob, Naruto glanced down to Ayame…who was still sleeping. Seriously what did this woman do that got her so exhausted? Well it wasn't like Naruto had anyway qualms with her sleeping there. He was still alive and kicking so that was another plus. Naruto sighed. He supposed…he didn't have to heartless. He wasn't that way, though sometimes he wished he could be.

Dashing atop the rooftops was an easy enough affair for Naruto who had been used to pranking people both at night and in broad daylight. It wasn't hard to do so. Naruto had to admit that, at night, the village lights looked very beautiful. Naruto would have taken a picture of the scenery if he had a camera. Well, enough of that. Naruto hopped off towards his destination. "I hope it's not too flooded like last time," Naruto said to himself.

Quickly leaving the village walls behind, Naruto appeared in his team's training ground. With a great sigh, Naruto walked into the trees. His destination was a ways away. Precisely forty minutes away which was why he wanted to go after training! He would have been home by this time if he didn't have Genma on his ass. Well Naruto could complain about it later. Right now he had better things to do.

With time, Naruto finally found his spot which had to be a hole in the ground. With a heavy grunt, Naruto moved it to the side before revealing a large hole. Taking a deep breath, Naruto jumped into the hole. He grunted as he climbed…downward through the dirt and grim. God he had to find a better training area than this, but it was a matter of fact that there wasn't one right now. It was spacious around his frame to allow him access through the hole. It was rather tight, but nothing Naruto couldn't handle. Though now began the grueling climb down. Oh but trust him that it was nothing compared to the grueling climb back up. Granted this was all based on his assumption that it wasn't flooded.

After about ten more minutes, Naruto dropped through his hole and landed on the ground with a heavy thud. Dusting himself off, Naruto gazed at the massive cavern-like dome he had created. The walls that surrounded the dome were hard and thick. Numerous punch marks laid in their structure. As Naruto rested his backpack on a stone ledge, he jumped down to the ground. His lifted his feet up. "Crap, looks like I can't stay long. The water's coming in. Oh well I can still get in a good amount of training. Gomen Konoha, but you're going to have to deal for awhile," Naruto said as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He clenched his hand and let the familiar white orb overtake it. With a mighty cry that shook the chambers of his personal dome, Naruto launched his fist forward before he cracked the air. A mighty shockwave exploded from Naruto's hand and into the dome. The dome shook and shattered as Naruto felt the ground beneath his feet shake. Naruto held his ground as he tightened his fist. He looked up and noticed the rocks falling from the ceiling. Coating his left hand in the orb, Naruto shouted again as he send his fist upward cracking the very air once again breaking the rocks as the shockwave bashed into the ceiling. Naruto felt his feet shake as he was nearly brought down by the very force of his own power. The ground trembled and shook violently around him as more and more rocks fell down. Naruto took three kunai and swung them at the stones. The kunai bounced off the falling stones, but they stones kept coming. Naruto saw them coming before he drew back his hand. With a sharp intake of breath, he slammed his fist to the side not only cracking the air, but cracking and destroying the rocks in his way.

The dust and pebbles fell around him and on him. He grunted as he shook his head. This was Naruto's training spot for his destructive powers. He figured he was a good ways away from the village that they might feel the aftershocks, but not the main damage from his attacks. He really wanted to perfect this power, but the last thing he wanted was to show the village this power and bring everyone begging for his head on a spike.

He had found this cavern by accident when he had gone off to train another day. It had been…an experience for Naruto trying to figure the place out, but when he did, oh boy did he love it. It was perfect. Everything he needed in order to make the most of this power. Naruto, currently, was at least able to punch freely like he used to without fear of himself cracking the air and accidentally killing his sensei. Perhaps that was one of the reasons Naruto had been hesitant to truly try and…commit to a sparring session.

Getting back to his feet, Naruto slammed the white orb against the air again sending more shockwaves and debris of rocks around him. Naruto dodged left and right from the larger-enough-to-crush-him boulders that fell the ground. Naruto did indeed realize he could probably die down here and no one would know it, hell maybe everyone would be happy about it, but if there was one thing Naruto knew, it was that he was too awesome to die in a place like this! "Hmm I've always broke my hand away from the air. What happens if I hold it?" Naruto wondered to himself. With a small breath, Naruto crossed both his arms. The cavern felt mysteriously calm as Naruto closed his eyes. He then swiftly opened his eyes before forcing out his arms to both sides. The cracking of the air rang in his ears as he held his stance there. Naruto could feel the cavern shake even more violently than before. If he were scared for his life he would have ran, but something in his being told him not to move. The walls around his exploded and vibrated. Naruto watched hot steam shoot from the ground around him. Even the water at his feet was starting to shake from the various vibrations Naruto sent through the fault lines of the ground. The cracks along the floor and the cave walls became apparent as all around Naruto, rocks fell picking up more and more dust. Naruto tightened his fists as the sweat dripped from his face. He could feel it. He could feel it in his body, the power resonating through his arms and hands that made this happen.

Meanwhile, people in Konoha screamed as some fell to the ground in once beautiful lights that lit up the Konoha scenery now flashed left and right as a warning of danger. Men and women dropped to the ground. Some parents held their children in fright as the earthquake ripped through the Land of Fire. Newly repaired buildings slowly started to crumble away and into the ground making some people gasp in surprise and shock.

Ayame fell underneath Naruto's new table that she bought for him as she heard the earth tremble in it's violent explosion. Ayame had only woken up about ten minutes ago before realizing that she had fallen asleep, dead tired. When she opened her eyes she had seen the empty bowl in the sink, a blanket wrapped around her, and a note on the table that read, _"_ _Thanks for the ramen, Ayame-chan. It was good. I_ _'_ _m sorry too about earlier._ _"_ Ayame had been in a happier mood since than time, but one could easily see why that was no longer the case. She just silently prayed to whatever god was watching this for Naruto to be alright.

Genma cursed as he led the Hokage away from his office and to a shelter. Jonin-sensei or not, he was still in the Hokage's Guard Platoon which was his job to make sure that the Hokage would survive. Genma quickly kicked a piece of debris from the wall while his other teammates, Iwashi and Raidō, quickly led Hiruzen into a secret passage. Genma quickly sealed up the passage while making sure that no one was following them. Genma sighed as they descended the steps. This was becoming too common for his liking.

Ino shrieked as her vanity mirror crashed to the ground. Her father quickly bursted into the room screaming at her to come to her. Ino wasted no time in doing so as her father grabbed her and her mother. The compound shook violently from the ensuing explosion. Ino gasped as she looked outside the window to large rows of earth erupt from the ground.

The same was no better for the Inuzuka compound as Kiba and the rest of the Inuzuka clan members tried to get the dogs inside their pens while the explosions were going on. Akamaru whimpered in Kiba's jacket while the ground shifted forcing Kiba and a couple of his clansmen to the ground. It was then that Kiba looked in the sky. Lightning and thunder reigned in the heavens as he covered his and Akamaru's head. If Kiba were having an out of body experience then this might have been cooler than it currently was.

At the same time, Naruto gritted his teeth as he made the attempt to keep his balance to the floor. This was getting dangerous. The ground had just split beneath Naruto's feet. The fissures spaced and breached all around him. The water that generally rose into the dome over time was now spouting in waves. Naruto could even see some coming from the walls around him. The force of the water exploded into the air around the dome forcing Naruto gasp. The water slowly splashed around the inside of the dome before it converged on him. Naruto watched the water come before he frowned and narrowed his eyes. With a mighty cry, Naruto pushed his arms out further sending shockwaves bashing against the water forcing it away from his person. Naruto panted as he dropped his hands. The water calmed, but it was slowly starting to fill the dome. It didn't help that Naruto was also starting to feel weak and tired. He tried to move to get his stuff, but he cursed as his legs gave out and he dropped into the water. Naruto gurgled a response of panic as the fear slowly began to set in. The water continued to fill the dome more and more as Naruto choked on the water. Naruto tried to form the white orb, but of course it was pointless as he now understood that water negated his abilities. Naruto held his throat as he slowly began to descend. As his vision slowly started to come out, Naruto felt something tug at his clothes before he drifted into unconsciousness.

Slowly, with time, Naruto opened his eyes and noticed the soft air breeze coming from a room…that was almost too nice to be his room! Naruto jerked up as he noticed a wet rag on his head. He looked down at it for a moment. "I guess they disproved the theory that idiots float. Or was it cowards? Well you're the same thing regardless," Oh gods no. Of anyone, anyone who could have possibly saved him, please god don't let it be…

Naruto turned to the side and noticed Uchiha Sasuke looking at him with a small glare and folded arms. Naruto threw off the covers and stood to his feet before making for the door. "Thank you Sasuke for saving my miserable life from drowning in a lonely cavern," Sasuke replied making Naruto stop at the door. He turned back to send a small glare at the Uchiha.

"Why? Why did you save me? We hate each other. You're the last person I would expect to save someone like me," Naruto said making Sasuke snort. "Don't flatter yourself dobe. I took pity on you is all," Sasuke said before Naruto moved to collect his clothes. Sasuke must have washed them since they were dry. Sasuke glared as he watched Naruto collect his backpack as well.

"You know dobe, you've been acting weird lately. Ever since your birthday passed you've been acting like a little child who got his favorite toy taken away. What's the matter with you? One messed up birthday and you feel like it's the end of the world? Was it really something to kill yourself over?" Sasuke asked making Naruto chuckle mirthlessly.

"Of course the favored Last Uchiha wouldn't know anything about it. All you have to is frown and walk around and people love you. Thanks Sasuke for saving, though why you care I don't know. Point is you did save me dattebayo. I guess I owe you that one," Naruto said making Sasuke unfold his arms.

"Then you can start by telling me what you were doing down there," Sasuke said before he shivered as Naruto glared at him. "I said I owed you one, but I'll choose which one I owe you. Now if you don't mind I have to go home, take a shower, and change my clothes. I have to meet my team today," Naruto said as he closed the door behind him. Sasuke frowned as watched Naruto go before he shivered slightly. _"_ _That power,_ _"_ Sasuke thought to himself.

As Naruto opened the door exiting from Sasuke's apartment, he stopped. He dropped his bag and looked at the nigh apocalypse that ripped through Konoha. If Naruto's first earthquake was bad, this one was a devastation. Naruto looked at the violently ruptured ground in surprise. There was enough some minor flooding of water in some places. Naruto turned his head towards the Hokage Mansion and gasped. He looked down at his hands and clenched them. He had done it again. The Hokage Mansion's top…was gone. Even the Hokage Stone Faces were cracked. "Oi genin!" Naruto looked down to see a chunin addressing him. One that he had never seen before.

"All genin and their jonin instructors to Training Ground #44 on the double," The chunin said before he dashed off while Naruto watched him go. Naruto looked back at the destroyed sections of the village. This…Naruto was starting to feel…that this…power no matter where he trained…it would destroy…anything and everything! Still as Naruto looked at the barren streets of Konoha he could feel the weight of his conscience. He closed his eyes and slumped his shoulders. Cautious or not, he had to take action now, but first…home, and a change of clothes.

* * *

 _ **KG: Well I guess I can stop there. I**_ _ **'**_ _ **ll admit to probably making Naruto overreact, but as I know him, that is sometimes his nature to overreact in specific circumstances. So people said no matter what, this has to be a pairing I haven**_ _ **'**_ _ **t done before. I guess that gives me some leeway.**_

 _ **KG: Also I try to have Naruto train with his powers when he can without drawing**_ _ **…**_ _ **too much attention to himself. Though in writing his training I see a flaw in it where I don**_ _ **'**_ _ **t know exactly how far an earthquake can travel. I know miles, but not a very high number of miles. I imagine it would be hard to train in a power that creates earthquakes of all things.**_

 _ **KG: People also asked me if Naruto**_ _ **'**_ _ **s gonna be able to trust**_ _ **…**_ _ **anyone enough to even have a pairing. That is kind of hard to answer. So I will leave it to your thoughts of how I write it.**_

 _ **KG: Well that**_ _ **'**_ _ **s all people. Stay Breezy, protect what**_ _ **'**_ _ **s important to you, review, and**_ _ **…**_ _ **bow down before the altar of Cream Soda. SUBMIT YOUR FUCKIN TRIBUTES NOW!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**KG: Can you all please stop calling me the People's Author? It's flattering if embarrassing to have that title. If nothing else, I am the Cream Soda's author.**_

 _ **KG: Note to self, when your wife tells you to train her in using a gun…do not! I feel like I just got myself the innocent version of Revy from Black Lagoon. It's a scary thought actually.**_

 _ **KG: In any case, some people argued that Naruto is starting to show signs of increased paranoia or a decreased state of dementia. That…wasn't what I had in mind when I tried to make Naruto cautious. Being overly cautious and paranoid isn't the same as dementia I believe.**_

 _ **Quote: "Who knows what true loneliness is - not the conventional word but the naked terror? To the lonely themselves it wears a mask. The most miserable outcast hugs some memory or some illusion." by**_ _ **Joseph Conrad**_ _ **.**_

 _ **Music of the Month: Say Something (I'm Giving Up On You) by A Great Big World.**_

* * *

If Naruto were honest he would have said that right now it was a little hard to feel sorry for the village for what he had done. It generally wasn't in him to remain sour or sore at people, but Konoha was truly beginning to test the limits of his own kindness in doing so. Naruto would have liked to think that this was probably life trying to even the playing field, but Naruto, upon seeing the destruction, couldn't help but feel bad. So many things were out of place that it wasn't even in Naruto's nature to try to laugh at this. So many people in anguish or agony. So much crying, moaning, and sobbing about lost things tore at Naruto's heart as a human being. They say that revenge is a dish best served cold, but for Naruto revenge wasn't a dish to be served. It was a dish to be earned. Naruto sighed. If he were also honest…then he would say he didn't care.

As Naruto came into the Forest of Death, after much hassle and walking, he took notice of the many other students and jonin sensei scattered about the groups. How was he supposed to find his team in all of this?! With a heavy sigh, Naruto continued making his way through the crowds of former classmates and new jonin sensei that he couldn't identify. "All genin and simulator genin, find your jonin sensei and await further instructions," came the very, very bored drawl of Shikamaru's father, Nara Shikaku. To be honest, Naruto had only met the man a handful of times, but to his knowledge the man didn't seem to bear Naruto any ill will…that he could identify yet. Well, Naruto would just have to be on his guard.

"Yo Naruto!" Naruto looked over and noticed his team standing near one of the fences that kept the Forest of Death from the rest of the world. He quickly moved himself over to them. "Looks like you survived that earthquake too. That was bad one wasn't it?" Kiba asked making Ino nod.

"It was. The plumbing in our house is broken and we have virtually no electricity," Ino said which made Naruto flinch. It was a flinch that Genma almost missed as it was first deemed by him to be insignificant, but he knew better than that. "Same here. We had to spend almost all night building new dog houses for our ninken. Not to mention of our bathrooms, living rooms, and bedrooms are flooded," Kiba said making Naruto look down. This…wasn't helping his mood actually.

"How about you Naruto? How's your place?" Kiba asked which forced Naruto to look up in surprise. He could see their eyes on him and that worried him. Why would they want to know about his place? They…hadn't bugged it or something, had they? No, no they couldn't do that. Naruto was sure he was just being stupid again. With a calming breath, he answered. Truth be told, he didn't know how his place was. He had just left from Sasuke's apartment after he…saved Naruto from drowning. Naruto rolled that concept around in his head. The class elite of his generation had saved _him._ Sasuke…saved Naruto. For Naruto that was a bitter pill to swallow, but he did owe Sasuke…something. The bastard's reasons aside, he kept Naruto alive as Naruto was pretty sure he didn't want to die just yet.

"It's fine. It's leaking a little and the electricity is out, but it's fine for the most part," Naruto answered which made Kiba and Ino nod. Genma didn't respond as he just settled for rubbing the back of his head.

With that question answered, Naruto began to look through the crowds. He could see people he recognized and other people that he couldn't. He had been looking around for a moment before his eyes landed onto Sasuke's eyes. The two genin stared at each other for an amount of time. Naruto didn't like the way Sasuke's eyes looked at him so curiously. It almost felt like the Uchiha was attempting to steal his soul or something. So instead of that, Naruto decided to end the staring contest with Sasuke to look at his team. It looked like just as Ino said. Sakura Haruno was a part of Sasuke's team, but Naruto also saw Shino Aburame as well. So that was their team. Naruto couldn't see the jonin sensei since the crowd was so thick. It was then that they all heard Shikaku begin to speak.

"Due to the recent seismic activity in the area we are encouraging all genin and graduating genin to practice safety protocol. We will now be having genin work out during the night patrol to help the chunin and some jonin patrol the village. This goes double for simulator genin as the night activity can help make for more realistic situations. So in addition to your D-rank missions, teamwork exercises, and other details you will be a part of the night patrol. Every week a new team will take over the night shift. Your jonin sensei will accommodate you accordingly. As this seismic activity is more frequent we suspect an enemy attack to be involved. So everyone remain diligent. May the Will of Fire be with us," Shikaku said before he walked off leaving the others in the field.

"And guess who has the first shift," Genma said with a wide smile as he looked down at the shocked faces of his genin. "Are you kidding me?!" Ino asked while Kiba sighed. Naruto could feel the small headache of the day coming upon him, but truth be told the idea of wandering around at night appealed really well to him. Naruto could only look on as Ino shouted obscenities at Genma while the jonin tried to placate the female blonde.

Once the team had all left the area, this left Team Genma alone. "Okay then, we have night patrol tomorrow night. I suggest you work yourselves hard today, sleep early tomorrow and follow this list of things to bring tomorrow night," Genma said giving the three their sheets of paper. Naruto took the list before looking it over. He was about to walk away before Genma patted him on the arm. Naruto shivered for a moment before turning around. He turned a look to Genma.

"Naruto, you are required to meet with Inoichi Yamanaka today in the mid-afternoon. He will be waiting for you in his office," Genma said making Naruto narrow his eyes. "Daddy? What does Dad need with Naruto?" Ino asked. Genma shrugged his shoulders. Oh come on, of course he knew why, but he wasn't about to tell Kiba and Ino that Naruto was suspected of having suicidal thoughts and tendencies. Genma wasn't even sure that Naruto knew he had them.

"Just a simple psychological check-up. Nothing more. All genin are required by law to have them before they can go out on missions," Genma said. Kiba snickered as he pointed at Naruto. "Good luck. I doubt he'll be able to poke the dead last's brain. He probably has no brain!" Kiba boasted. Naruto turned a small glare to the Inuzuka, but didn't rise to the bait. For once he wasn't in the mood to try.

"Whatever," Naruto said as he walked off leaving Ino, Kiba, and Genma in the field. "What's his problem? He's been moping for several days now!" Kiba said making Ino shrug her shoulders. Genma didn't say anything. What could he say? He doubted he could have say anything to make a substantial impact.

-x-

When Naruto made it back home, he opened the door. He tried to turn on the light. It didn't work. "Typical," Naruto said to himself, but he was willing to take the blame for this. It was his fault after all. If Naruto did one thing, then it was take responsibility for his actions when he caused them. Even sometimes if he were forced to. As Naruto moved through his apartment he looked over at the table where he had left Ayame. The sheet that he had placed on her backside had been neatly folded on the table. Naruto took the sheet before placing it away. He quickly moved into his bedroom and discarded his clothes from what he had worn yesterday. Naruto then quickly headed into the shower. The water was good for his skin, but he didn't stay in it for very long. The reason behind that was that it was dead cold. Perhaps the heating devices were broken, but the water worked so that was good. He then quickly brushed his teeth before putting on some new clothes.

Naruto quickly grabbed his scroll that he received as a birthday present from the Sandaime. It was still a good six hours before he had to go "visit" Inoichi Yamanaka and Naruto planned to spend that time as productively as possible. Naruto sat in the living room looking over the scroll. To the best of his knowledge he had completed exercises 1-10 without any difficulty. Now he was working on exercise 11. Naruto read the scroll for a brief moment.

"Deception is a shinobi's greatest tool. Nothing works better than stabbing the opponent's psychological awareness. For the shinobi deception is the tool to do this. Lies are the shinobi's religion and deception is their practice. The expert shinobi can get their allies and enemies to believe anything. By deception wars can be presented or started. By deception an ally becomes and enemy and an enemy becomes an ally. By deception, light becomes dark and dark becomes light. By deception the lines between truth and lies are blurred into the mystery of the unknown. However to deceive is not to completely lie. There is nothing worse or better than a deception with small hints of truth involved. This is the way of a shinobi. Keep your wits about you and determine what is truth as you go through your exercises," Naruto finally took a small breath and huffed. He read over the text again. Deception always had truth involved. Naruto remembered when he had been deceived by the villagers. The truths were subtle, but they were there. Naruto would have liked to think that one of the truths was the villagers numerous apologies to him about how they treated him, but he dared not let himself dream that.

Naruto decided to attempt wall-walking as he read his scroll. It was…easier to do it had been the last time. Granted Naruto couldn't do a "running start" like Ino or Kiba did, but progress was progress. It did make Naruto happy that he could at least hang from the side of the wall for a good five minutes. Naruto figured that the principles behind why he could stick to the ground were the same as to why he could stick to the solid surface of a tree or to his wall. When Naruto looked at his feet he merely had to…keep imagining his feet in his head. If chakra could be controlled mentally then if Naruto constantly thought about his feet then the chakra should have naturally went there. It had taken a lot of tries and a few headaches, but Naruto had gotten it right.

For about three hours, Naruto looked over his scroll and worked on his chakra control. Iruka had made such a strong emphasis on the benefits of chakra control that perhaps most of it wasn't nonsense as Naruto figured it was. However Naruto's concentration was broken when there came a sharp knock to the door. Naruto nearly jumped before he noticed he was upside down on his ceiling. With a curse, Naruto's feet detached from the ceiling sending him crashing into the floor. Naruto groaned as he rubbed the back of head before wobbling to his feet. "Of all the dumb, stupid ways to fall of a damn ceiling," Naruto grumbled as he proceeded to open the door.

All the anger in Naruto's being from his fall slowly started to vanish as he noticed Ayame with quite a bit of luggage. She chuckled as she waved. "Good morning Naruto-kun. I'm glad you're home," Ayame said. Naruto was quick to notice the redness of Ayame's eyes. With a small frown, Naruto grumbled at the tugs in his heart. Paranoid or not, Naruto understood himself that he would always have a soft spot in his heart for Ayame and Teuchi. They did save him from drowning the first time after all. She must have been crying.

"May I come in?" Ayame asked. Naruto stood at the door for a moment before issuing a small sigh. He opened the door allowing Ayame to walk inside. He helped her with her bags and placed them to the side of the wall. "I would make you some tea Ayame-chan, but the power is out and the plumbing is probably worse," Naruto said as Ayame sat down. She noticed Naruto give her a water bottle. She smiled thankfully.

"That's fine Naruto-kun. I appreciate the thought," Ayame said as Naruto sat down. "But why?" Naruto asked. Ayame looked up to see Naruto starting right at her. She almost felt the nerves in her body shiver at his gaze before Naruto caught himself and eased up. He exhaled a breath.

"Why did you spend your hard earned money on me Ayame-chan? You had to have a reason for it, didn't you? You got me a new table and you got me food. Why did you do that?" Naruto asked. Ayame tilted her head to the side and chuckled like Naruto had just given her a really bad joke. "What are you talking about Naruto-kun? I don't need a reason to help my best friend!" Ayame said proudly. Naruto shivered in his seat as he covered his head in his hands. Her best friend? Him? Naruto turned a small unnoticed glare in Ayame's direction. He saw her happily drink the water bottle. Was that true? Was he really one of her friends? She…made him ramen and he was still alive, so that counted. She had been one of the only people to like him in his early years. Yet, Naruto knew…that couldn't be it. She had to have something to gain from this! No one had his wellbeing at heart! No one ever did!

"So…did you want something?" Naruto asked not having the faith to look Ayame in her eyes at the moment. Ayame sent him a look before she smiled sadly and looked at the table. "Would…it be too much trouble if Tou-san and I stayed here for a couple of months?" Ayame asked. Naruto nearly fell out of his chair at the request made to him as he looked up at Ayame. No, it couldn't have been possible. Please don't tell Naruto that he actually could have accidentally…

"I'm sure you know but an earthquake hit Konoha yesterday. My…My dad's house was destroyed. He was sleeping in the bed. I was sleeping in your living room when it happened. I was able to hide underneath the table. When I returned some of the medic nin were at the sight. My…dad is in critical condition right now. They say he was lucky to pull through as he did. It's not life-threatening they told me, but…we don't have any place to live currently. A lot of the other apartments, hotels, and motels are too full to accommodate us. I was hoping we could live with you for a couple of months or close to a year till we can reclaim everything," Ayame said with a small smile. However it was a different story for Naruto.

He widened his eyes as he looked down at the table. It…was his fault. The nicest people who showed him kindness and did everything else with him, saved him, fed him, had their house destroyed by his…powers. Naruto shivered and if he were honest he felt sick to his stomach. He almost felt like he could puke.

" _Every jutsu, no matter how low or high it is, requires control to utilize to its full potential. Not that this would happen, but Naruto imagine if you had a technique that would literally be able to reshape the landscape and everything that you saw around it. If you had no control not only would you be doing damage to yourself, but also to your enemies, your allies and any innocents caught in the crossfire. The academy emphasizes control because without control of one's chakra then one uses more than what is needed or even less than what is required leaving the user to either injure themselves and others or become useless. Control is about safety!" Genma stated firmly making Naruto flinch as he remembered the events that transpired yesterday._

Naruto nodded mentally as closed his eyes. He looked down at his hands. Control was about safety. When Naruto clenched his hands he chuckled. Things couldn't stay this way. Naruto couldn't let anything stay this way. Because of him, people were getting hurt more than they should have been. As Naruto looked outside, he sighed. That was because he didn't trust anyone to talk with him. Not only was it Konoha's fault, but it was also his own. "It's okay Ayame-chan. Of course you can stay here," Naruto said with a small smile. Ayame's smile quickly brightened as she grabbed Naruto's hands.

"Thank you Naruto-kun! I can't tell you how much we appreciate this! Naturally we'll help you pay rent for the apartment. If possible can I move Dad's things into your room? I would like him to have the bed. I was also hoping you and I could use your extra futons and perhaps sleep at the foot of the bed. I-If that's fine with you!" Ayame said excitedly. The idea of having to share a room with not just Ayame, but also Teuchi, filled Naruto with an unusual amount of nervousness and anxiety. The last time he left anyone even anywhere near that close to him he ended up in a lake drowning to its watery depths. No, come on Naruto! This was Ayame and Teuchi he was talking about, but…he couldn't risk that again…no matter how bad he felt. Yet, Naruto could never be cold-hearted. No matter how bad he felt, he would never stoop to the village's level.

"That's…fine, Ayame-chan," Naruto said a little unsure, but he hoped he masked it well. If he judged Ayame's expression then he had done so. "Thank you Naruto-kun! We'll try not to be a bother to you," Ayame said before she moved over and gave Naruto a big hug that forced Naruto to shiver…and not in the good way. As Ayame let him go she took some of the bags into Naruto's room. Naruto watched her go. Was this really a good idea? Naruto doubted it. Yet somewhere in his heart, he couldn't find it in him to argue as to why not.

Naruto would like to have said that the next five hours were eventful, but they weren't. Naruto helped Ayame buy some new futons. Well, it was probably better to say that Ayame bought them in the shop while Naruto stood outside and helped carry the equipment. He did this so as not to agitate the owner. Naruto wasn't in the mood for problems. That was an easy enough affair. However the next couple weren't. Naruto couldn't believe he was with Ayame figuring out what silverware to get. A spoon was a spoon wasn't it? So was a fork, wasn't it? A bowl was a bowl too, and so was a plate? Why did she care if they were different? Naruto didn't understand women. He doubted he ever would too.

Naruto panted as he fell to his chair in exhaustion. He watched Ayame put up bowls and the like before moving away. How much energy did this girl have?! Naruto was honestly amazed! However he didn't have the time to be amazed for very long. As Naruto looked at the clock he groaned. Time for him to have his brain poked at. "Alright Ayame-chan, I have to be somewhere. Make yourself at home," Naruto said with a small smile. Ayame nodded as Naruto walked out the door.

Naruto sighed as he walked through the streets. He didn't know why he had extended a helping hand to Ayame and her father. He figured it was because out of everyone in Konoha, they were the ones he…enjoyed having around the most. He at least supposed that no harm could…truly come to him if it was just them. Yet, the guilt in Naruto's soul didn't go away. Because of his overeagerness and his stubbornness one of his many acquaintances was in the hospital in critical condition. Naruto looked down at his hands. He had the pressure of using this power responsibly. Or perhaps it was better to say he had the pressure of this power at all. Naruto couldn't continue like this.

As Naruto came up to the a side of the hospital, he walked inside the door. Naruto could see the numerous patients with casts on their legs or their arms. He could see some people who had bandages covering their eyes or the top of their heads, or even their ears. As much as Naruto would have liked to deny it…he really might have been a monster. Could only a monster do this?

Naruto stifled a breath before he moved over to the receptionist area. "Uzumaki Naruto? We've been expecting you. Inoichi Yamanaka is in his office waiting for you as we speak," the receptionist said politely. This was something Naruto would have been surprised by, but he didn't comment on it. He just thanked the lady as she guided him to the office.

The walk to the office had been incredibly uneventful and silent. As they walked, Naruto had the feeling that either this woman was good at being professional or she was just attempting to keep any interaction with him to a bare minimum. Now generally, Naruto did hate to be ignored, but in this case he really didn't have anything to talk about either. So when the woman knocked on the door, Naruto was relieved to be done with the awkwardness. "Come in," Naruto heard a rather light voice speak. The receptionist opened the door.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Inoichi-san," she said. Inoichi nodded as he watched Naruto come through the door. The receptionist slowly closed the door as Naruto stood at the opposite side of the room. "Good afternoon Naruto-san. I am Inoichi Yamanaka," the man said. He had long ash blond hair reaching into his back, which he wore spiky on top and ending in a long ponytail, blue-green eyes and strong facial features, which included a well defined jaw line. Naruto didn't know what to make of him except that he looked just like an older, manlier version of Ino.

"You're…Ino's dad, right?" Naruto asked. Inoichi raised an eyebrow before nodding with a small smile. "That's correct Naruto-san. Ah I see, you are on my daughter's team. How is that going for you?" Inoichi asked. Naruto turned a small glare to the notepad in Inoichi's hands. He didn't hide it very well as Inoichi followed his gaze down.

"Oh this? Let's not worry about this Naruto-san. I have merely requested you for your check-up is all," Inoichi said putting the notepad on his desk. Naruto turned back to the man. Based on what Naruto had known about the Yamanaka they were a clan that used…basically their mind to control others. It was a scary thought now that Naruto thought about it. Plus Naruto was aware that this man was a capable jonin. Naruto wouldn't have lived as long as he did or gotten as lucky as he had if he couldn't find someway of looking at people from a certain perspective. The fact that he put the notepad down made Naruto worried. Did that attest to the man's memory of a conversation that he didn't need the notepad? Was he going to take Naruto over and ruin even more of his shattered image?

"It's fine I guess," Naruto finally replied. Inoichi nodded as he stood up. Naruto could see Inoichi in a long white coat. Naruto wasn't aware that Inoichi was a medic-nin. To only freak Naruto out more, Inoichi replied. "My office is located to the side of the Konoha Hospital. I sometimes work here to give patients psychological council or to help them work through any traumas or fears that they have. Think of it as mental rehabilitation," Inoichi said. Naruto nodded. That cleared up that little mystery. That was cool he supposed.

Inoichi pulled up two seats for himself and Naruto. He beckoned for Naruto to sit with him. Naruto's posture indicated some reluctance, but he quickly abandoned that and sat down slowly. Inoichi sat down and clenched his hands together softly. "Naruto-san, tell me, how do you feel about Konoha?" Inoichi asked. Naruto raised an eyebrow. Was that supposed to be some form of a joke?

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. Inoichi looked out the window at the sun for a moment before turning back to Naruto. "What I mean is…how would you describe your feelings towards Konoha?" Inoichi asked. Naruto then frowned. Were they trying to find out if he would still remain loyal? Was he being considered a flight risk? If Naruto were to recall this incident then he might have said that he couldn't look Inoichi in the eye.

"I don't have an opinion," Naruto remarked. To his credit, Inoichi didn't lose the smile on his face. "Naruto-san, everyone has opinion of something. Even if they lie to themselves they have an opinion on a matter. That is how the brain works," Inoichi said. Naruto snorted at the man's response.

"Whatever," Naruto replied a bit more coldly than he had anticipated. Inoichi just chuckled and leaned back patiently waiting for Naruto to reply. Naruto was going to be honest. He didn't really want to answer this question. He had no inherent relationship with Inoichi like he did with the Sandaime so he couldn't…expertly deceive the man by saying he loved the village, but he really didn't want to know what would happen if he said he hated it. So…Naruto just spoke.

"It doesn't matter how I feel dattebayo. Why do you care about how I feel? No one cares about how I feel. Everyone in this village seems to harbor some form of resentment towards me. I would bet my ass that even you do," Naruto said with an accusatory look. By the way Inoichi tightened himself, if only slightly, Naruto could tell he was right, or at least somewhere in the ballpark.

"You feel…everyone hates you and that I hate you? Why do you think that?" Inoichi asked. Now Naruto could say he was getting angry. The man was a jonin. There was no way he didn't know about what happened to Naruto. Right now, Naruto felt like was being played and if there was one thing you didn't do to Uzumaki Naruto, was play him. "Hmmm why would people intentionally and forcefully drown someone if they didn't hate them? Why would they ignore someone who felt that every single thing they did was wrong? I AM NOT AN IDIOT!" Naruto shouted vehemently. Inoichi didn't raise to the anger and nodded.

"I do not take you for an idiot, Naruto-san. However I do believe that you need to talk this out. Do you want revenge on Konoha?" Inoichi asked. Naruto snorted. "Revenge? And who would help me get that? Hokage-Jiji? All I get is excuse after excuse! 'Naruto, forgive them', 'they are merely scared', well what about me?! They aren't the ones who cower under their sheets worried someone's gonna break their door down and hang them out to dry! Sometimes I do wish I was dead just so I wouldn't have to deal with any of you anymore!" Naruto huffed while Inoichi widened his eyes. He leaned forward.

"Naruto-san, what would your death accomplish?" Inoichi asked. Naruto chuckled a little bitterly. "Well you guys would get what you want which is me out of the way and I would get what I want! You all to leave me alone!" Naruto said before he shot up turned around and walked out leaving Inoichi alone.

Naruto huffed from behind the door. It felt good to vent, but Naruto still felt bad deep down. He shook his head before he continued walking out of the building. Naruto walked through some of the halls before going down the steps. When he came to the first floor, Naruto walked through the halls. He passed by many rooms however he stopped at one particularly. He looked up. "Room 43," Naruto said as he gently opened the door. He quickly looked inside and noticed…Teuchi Ichiraku in the hospital bed. He was obviously sleeping, but he had a number of bruises and tubes up his nose. Naruto's gaze lowered. The old ramen maker looked peaceful as he slept there. Naruto saw his chest rise and fall. He shivered as he closed his eyes. If there was ever one person, Naruto would consider apologizing to then it would have been to this man right here. Naruto then looked down at his hands. He clenched them tightly. Naruto watched one of the white bubbles form around it.

 _Control is about safety!" Genma stated firmly making Naruto flinch._ Naruto stared at the orb for a moment before letting it vanish. He looked back at Teuchi before staring forward. He bit his lower lips in frustration as he closed his eyes.

"… _.Lies are the shinobi's religion and deception is their practice. The expert shinobi can get their allies and enemies to believe anything. By deception wars can be presented or started. By deception an ally becomes and enemy and an enemy becomes an ally. By deception, light becomes dark and dark becomes light. By deception the lines between truth and lies are blurred into the mystery of the unknown. However to deceive is not to completely lie. There is nothing worse or better than a deception with small hints of truth involved."_

Naruto cursed before he released a breath and sighed. He slowly nodded before he patted Teuchi's shoulder. "I'll make this right old man. I promise. Uzumaki Naruto always keeps his promises dattebayo," Naruto said before he turned around and walked out of the door. With time, Naruto exited the hospital and turned towards the Hokage mansion. What Naruto was about to do was treason. Treason of the highest caliber, but he had to. If Naruto Uzumaki was going to deceive then he was going to make sure that it was the best damn good deception that the world would ever recognize! He swore it!

-x-

Hiruzen, Danzo, Koharu and Homura were seated around a table together once again. The council quickly took in each other's presence before finally speaking. "I have come to believe that these seismic events might be the work of an enemy shinobi. They seem to be in too much succession to be coincidence," Homura said while the Sandaime and the others glanced at each other.

"However we have not been invaded or overthrown yet. Either they fear Konoha's might, as they should, or there are more forces at work here. Hiruzen we may have to prepare for war. We do have the simulator genin preparing for night patrol, but that is not all we can do. We might have to bring up old war methods again!" Danzo said from his seat. Sarutobi resist the urge to sigh tiredly. More war. When was the world truly going to be peaceful like he had always envisioned in his dreams?

"If that's the case then we will need the Kyuubi jinchuuriki ready. That would require telling him of his status. It would also require Jonin Shiranui Genma to train his team harder than any of the other genin. We would need the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki to climb through the ranks as quickly as possible. If that's the case then perhaps we should bring back Jiraiya-san to monitor his progress. This is a very serious matter," Koharu replied. Sarutobi and the others nodded and Hiruzen was about to ask for suggestions on the matter before the four heard shouting outside.

"OI get back here you brat! The Sandaime is very busy! He has no time for the likes of you! Catch him! Look out! Get out of the way! Come back here!" The four turned into the direction of the door and they watched as the subject of their discussion bursted into the room with tears in his eyes. Naruto dashed into Hiruzen much to the Sandaime's surprise. The other three council members watched impassively as three jonin quickly appeared.

"Hokage-sama, please forgive us! He sidestepped us well! We'll remove him now!" They said as they moved to grab Naruto away from the Hokage. However everyone heard Naruto sob into Hiruzen's shoulder. "Gomen Jiji. Gomen, it's all my fault. Everything is all my fault. I…I…I was just so happy. I wanted you to be proud of me dattebayo! The earthquakes, the destroyed village, the people hurt, it was all my fault," Naruto said through his sobs. Koharu and Homura widened their eyes while Danzo glared at the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Sarutobi heard Naruto's cries as Naruto told him the countless sorries that he made to the village and to the Hokage for disappointing him. If Naruto weren't like this, then Sarutobi would have called it inexcusable, but he looked so serious. Plus…he spoke of the earthquakes as his fault. It couldn't have been…the Kyuubi could it?

"Everyone stand down. You can leave this to me now," Sarutobi said seriously. The jonin stiffened and wanted to retort, but the three knew it wasn't their place to. They merely bowed before they excused themselves and closed the door. Even with them gone, Naruto continued to cry before Hiruzen patted the blonde's shoulder. "Naruto-kun, I need you to calm down. Take a deep breath and calm down. Shinobi are always calm. You're a shinobi aren't you?" Sarutobi soothingly asked. Naruto slowly nodded before he moved away and rubbed his eyes.

"H-Hai, gomen. I…I'm the one who did the earthquakes that caused the damage outside," Naruto said making Hiruzen narrow his eyes. The three council members in the room grew concerned. Perhaps for the same reasons that Hiruzen was thinking of. However everyone could see the shame in Naruto's eyes. "Explain this to me Naruto-kun. How did you do this?" Hiruzen asked. Ever piece of experience in his being told him that Naruto was physically incapable of doing this, but Sarutobi knew that there were many mysteries in the shinobi world. Extraordinary things always tended to happen around jinchuuriki. Naruto cleared his throat.

"I-It was after my birthday party by the village. One of the merchants gave me a weird fruit. He told me about it coming from other lands and that it was extremely exo…exot…erotic?" Naruto asked and Hiruzen chuckled slightly. Homura, Koharu and Danzo didn't share in the humor too attentive to the story at hand. However they watched Hiruzen chuckle.

"I believe you mean exotic, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen corrected. Naruto just nodded, but continued on with the story. "After that I…was drowned by some of the villagers. It was strange to me because I thought I was a pretty good swimmer, but I kept sinking and sinking until I passed out. I-It happened just after you left my apartment from signing me out of the hospital. I…I was angry with the villagers and everything else that I lashed out. My…fist hit the air! I swear Jiji! I really hit the air and it cracked. I…I was scared because I didn't know what to do, but everything seemed fine so I ran to school. While we had our taijutsu session with Mizuki-sensei the earthquake happened. I thought it was me so I…tried to train it. You taught me in the scroll that a true shinobi hides their abilities and waits for the best time to use them. I…I was so excited because I thought I finally had something over Sasuke-teme so I just wanted to train it. I wanted to be…recognized for it, but it happened again and now even more people got hurt because of it," Naruto said. Hearing as much of this was enough.

"Young man, I have had enough of this story. We are discussing a serious matter and have no time for your tall tales. Go bother your friends if you wish for entertainment, but the council room is not the place for you to get your laughs!" Koharu protested vehemently. Homura seemed to be in agreement. However, Danzo was looking at Naruto slowly, calculatedly, and methodically.

"No Oba-chan! I swear I did it! I was…just scared because everyone already hates me and I didn't want to make them even angrier," Naruto said before turning back to the Sandaime. Koharu twitched at the 'oba-chan' comment, but let it go rather quickly.

Now even Hiruzen had a hard time believing this story. The pleading in Naruto's eyes almost begged for someone to believe him, but Naruto was only a child. How could Hiruzen believe…any of this? No one was able to generate an earthquake apart from a large scale Doton jutsu. Granted Naruto had chakra reserves that would put every shinobi in Konoha…, or the Land of Fire for that matter, to shame wasn't lost on Hiruzen, but all of this was a bit too much.

"Naruto-kun, you can't really expect us to believe this can you?" Sarutobi asked. Naruto mentally cursed. Looks like he really was going to have to do it. He had hoped his word was enough, but it looked like that wasn't the case here. Perhaps Naruto shouldn't have been surprised. "No wait Jiji, I can prove it I promise! I can prove I did it! Like I said I've been trying to train it, but the village is too close. If you and your friends can find a safe…faraway place I can show you. I…I don't want to do it here again! Please believe me! I can show you dattebayo!" Naruto earnestly said. Hiruzen sighed as he looked at the other members of the council.

"Naruto-kun, I would like you to wait outside for just a moment okay? I need to speak with my council," Hiruzen said. Naruto just nodded sadly before he walked out the door leaving the four alone. "You can't be serious Hiruzen. Even if he is the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki to be able to perform what was done outside would easily place him at the S-rank just on principle. He couldn't have done this," Koharu said while the Hokage folded his arms.

"I am inclined to believe the boy. The tails of the Kyuubi were that just one of its tails could create tsunamis, hurricanes, and…earthquakes," Danzo said making the others look at him. "But a fruit? A fruit? Not even a learned shinobi technique, but he claims it was from a fruit! What are we supposed to make of this?!" Homura asked.

"Quite possibly the same we can make of Takigakure's use of their Sacred Water which boosts their chakra to significant levels. A fruit isn't so farfetched. The world holds many mysteries," Danzo said making Hiruzen nod. Homura and Koharu glanced to each other and truth be told they were intrigued. No matter how unlikely it sounded, they were still a little…interested in this affair.

"Do we have any to lose from going? Normally I would not waste my time with such trivialities, but Uzumaki Naruto is hardly normal. I believe this to be an investment," Danzo said. Sarutobi agreed. "So we are all in agreement to follow Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked. Danzo firmly nodded while Koharu and Homura slumped their shoulders, but they nodded as well. Hiruzen gave the final nod as the four made their way to the door and they opened it. They saw Naruto standing to the side of the wall patiently.

"We will indulge you Naruto-kun. Show us what the problem is," Hiruzen said. Naruto probably smiled out of necessity than actually wanting to, but it was fine. He got what he needed. "You guys won't regret it dattebayo! But we have to go away from the village. I..don't want to hurt it again," Naruto said. The four nodded. Sarutobi asked for a moment before he made a sublet handsign for at least four anbu to follow them from a distance. Better to be careful. The signal received, Hiruzen allowed Naruto to give the way. Naruto nodded as he led them out the back of the Hokage Mansion.

It had taken about a good hour or so of the council following Naruto before he felt it was safe to show them. The place that they stood in was a vast plain. The Anbu were still in the trees keeping an eye on anything suspicious while the four council members watched Naruto take his place. "Oh for safety I guess you should use your chakra to stick to the ground. It could get a little…rough," Naruto said to them. Koharu and Homura looked at him incredulously. Was the Kyuubi jinchuuriki really serious about this?

Danzo and Hiruzen wasted no time applying chakra to the ground. Koharu and Homura quickly followed as Naruto quickly got into his stance and clenched his right hand. With a small breath, he calmed himself. The council and surrounding Anbu watched as the familiar white bubble surrounded Naruto's fist. _"That…looks strikingly similar to the Yondaime's technique,"_ Hiruzen thought to himself as Naruto pulled his fist back. With a loud shout, Naruto released his fist effectively slamming it into the air, cracking it as he had told. Koharu and Homura widened their eyes while Danzo and Hiruzen narrowed their eyes. The sounds of the air cracking were apparent in their ears, but no amount of shinobi experience could've prepared the entire council or the Anbu for the powerfully enormous shockwave that ruptured the ground shaking it down to its very core. Sarutobi and Danzo quickly had to shift their feet while Koharu and Homura fell to the ground. The Anbu in the trees quickly grabbed the branches for steadiness as Naruto's shockwave traveled into the trees before he blasted those away as well. He sent them flying into the air. As Naruto kept his fist tightened the shaking got stronger and tougher. Hiruzen could see the pressure upon his feet as his center of balance constantly shifted. Never in the Professor's wildest dreams could he have ever believed this to be possible!

Meanwhile the council gawked as the ground beneath their feet started to crack. They could see Naruto still holding the posture as the shaking continued even further. In fact, from where they were, they could see the shaking of trees for miles into the horizon. It was then that they watched Naruto take his other hand. The same orb came into the next one before Naruto extended his left hand sending more shockwaves to his left. If just one with his right hand was bad, with both hands they council nearly thought the world around them was about to enter absolute destruction as the ground began to split apart at the seams. Hot steam shot angrily into the surface nearly shocking the others as it came by the bundles. Hell even hot water followed the steam as it slowly began to flood the area.

Seeing that he made his point, Naruto slowly withdrew his hands allowing the air to repair the cracks. With time, the quakes stopped allowing for the council to retain their balance and the rest of their sanity. Naruto hurried back to them and waited for them to speak with wide eyes. The council was strangely silent. Perhaps it was better to say that they were easily muted into being unable to say anything. Naruto looked across their faces as they surveyed the damage. "D-Did I do too much?" Naruto asked making them look down at him.

"Hiruzen, this is…phenomenal! Look at this damage! An academy student, not even a genin, was able to cause this!" Koharu said. She looked down. Her feet were still shaking from the experience. Not even Homura could refute the evidence seen here. Danzo couldn't, or rather Danzo didn't even want to, try to refute this either. This was…it. Konoha could destroy everything and anything if the Kyuubi jinchuuriki learned to use this power! No nation would be able to go against them!

Hiruzen looked down at Naruto. Naruto looked at him almost scared of his reaction. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves and his body, Hiruzen knelt down. "Naruto-kun, you must absolutely tell NO ONE about this! You have been given an amazing gift! You are special," Hiruzen said with a small smile. Naruto flinched mentally. Naruto wondered if Sarutobi would still say that if he knew Naruto's intentions.

"I have a gift, but I can't tell anyone about it?" Naruto asked tilting his head. "It would probably be best if we claimed it to be an unknown bloodline for the time being. However as the facts do state, Uzumaki Naruto was the one who damaged Konoha albeit unintentionally," Homura said making the four nod.

"Naruto-kun right now, as amazing and astounding as your ability is, we must keep it under wraps. We can't have another quake like that hit Konoha. Do you understand?" the Sandaime asked. Naruto just nodded. "Hai, but how do I train it? I mean I thought if I got good with it then I could blow everyone away if I really needed it. Should I not train it?" Naruto asked.

"Not training it is out of the question. This is an ability that must be cultivated. Boy, how long have you had this ability?" Danzo asked. Naruto turned towards him and thought about it for a moment before clearing his throat to speak. "A-About four weeks now, maybe a month," Naruto said. The others turned to each other.

"Hmmm so he's at least familiar with it," Koharu said as Naruto nodded. "But I think a downside of it is that I can't swim!" Naruto said. They looked down at him curiously. Naruto could see their questioning eyes and quickly answered.

"I could always swim good as far as I remember, but when I'm in water I feel weak and tired. I feel like I can't move a single muscle until someone pulls me out," Naruto replied. The council turned to each other. So that would mean that Suiton users were rather the most effective at having a chance of stopping the boy.

"Listen to me Naruto-kun, does anyone, ANYONE, else know about this ability of yours?" The Hokage asked. Naruto quickly shook his head. If there was one thing he really wanted to keep secret then it was this. Naruto had more than enough reason to not want this to get out. "Not even your team?" Sarutobi questioned. Naruto shook his head again. Sarutobi exhaled a breath.

"The boy's simulator jonin instructor will have to be informed," Koharu mentioned. Naruto planned for them to say that so it wasn't the most unlikely thing in the world. "I…I'll train really hard! I promise! You know me Jiji! I never quit! I'll master this ability and show everyone how awesome I can be!" Naruto proclaimed. Sarutobi chuckled to himself.

"That said, we would need to find a place where Uzumaki-san could train. His ability is a dangerous one, but we can still capitalize on it," Koharu said. "I would have to nominate him to go to a barren area and, with a couple authorized anbu, watch him practice and help him if he needs. Right now ability is perhaps on par with Konoha's Forbidden Scroll in terms of secrecy," Homura replied.

"Perhaps I could monitor the boy while a selection of the Hokage's anbu watch him work. It will be good training for the Anbu actually. Learning to fight on uneven territory would help if we ever require infiltration into Iwa," Danzo suggested. The council quickly agreed with each other before they guided Naruto back to Konoha. The Anbu vanished without a trace while the council walked back, leaving the destroyed land behind.

When they were back in Konoha, Koharu and Homura quickly spread off. Danzo said a couple of words to Sarutobi before walking away as well. Sarutobi said he would give Naruto the details at a later time. Naruto just nodded before he ran off with a huge smile on his face. Hiruzen watched him leave and smiled. Looks like he was doing fine after his birthday. Or at least he was starting to get over it. Hiruzen closed the door to his office.

-x-

Meanwhile, Naruto went back to his room and closed the door. Naruto sat on his bed for a moment before he chuckled. "Sorry Jiji, but if anyone is going to use anyone else then I'm going to have to use you guys to help me get stronger. I can't keep being near Konoha to do this. Looks like it all went according to plan dattebayo!" Naruto said with a small smile on his face. If he was going to deceive then he was going to do it right!

Naruto quickly stood to his feet. Okay, he had a way of training his ability under the guise helplessness he presented to the Sandaime, but the idea that Genma was going to be informed terrified Naruto if only a little. If Naruto were honest he only wanted the Hokage to know about it, but he wasn't lucky enough for the council to not be there. Oh well, it was a loss that easily turned into Naruto's favor. Still it also benefited Naruto that they didn't blame him…too much for the destruction under the premise of his inexperience with the power which was the case actually. While Naruto and the village were on…hostile terms, if nothing else Naruto figured that if Konoha truly was going to go as far as spy, bug, or poison him then he would have the power to give a retort.

Following the events, Naruto gave a tired yawn. He looked at the time. It was the time that the sun would have been starting to set. Naruto realized he had the first week of night patrol tomorrow. So with that in mind, Naruto decided to take off most of his clothes and go to sleep, ready for the next day.

When the sun came out, Naruto slowly opened his eyes and shuffled from his place on the bed. Naruto could feel something hot tickling the hairs of his upper lip. He tiredly opened his eyes only to notice Ayame sleeping with him soundly. Quickly, and effectively, reigning in his want to scream in these early hours, Naruto shivered. She…could have killed him from this distance! A bead of sweat went down Naruto's face at the thought before he took a small breath and removed himself from the bed. Then again, perhaps he forgot to roll out the futons like he had promised to do. Naruto towered over the bed as Ayame slept. He looked down at her for a moment before looking around the room. Nothing looked out of place and he was still alive. Everything seemed fine.

A quick shower and change of clothes, Naruto picked up the list that Genma had given him and sat down at the table to look it over. It looked like he needed a bit of expensive stuff. Hopefully that old crone at the warehouse store wouldn't give him much hassle this time for buying things. As Naruto read through his list, he noticed Ayame come out of the bedroom area with a bright tint on her cheeks. Despite himself, Naruto glanced away with another blush to add to his cheeks. "I can explain that! It was late and the lights were out. I…well, I didn't know you were already in the bed. I'm sorry Naruto-kun," Ayame apologized. Naruto glanced at her before he scratched his cheek.

"M-My bad too. I forgot to lay out the futons," Naruto said as Ayame moved over to the kitchen area. "Breakfast will be ready soon. I take it you will be out late tonight?" Ayame asked. Naruto just nodded without a thought as he continued to read over the list one more time. Naruto had been so busy reading the list that he almost jumped when a plate came down in front of him. He looked up and noticed Ayame smiling. "Dad's a better cook than I am, but I thought you were hungry," Ayame said. Naruto looked down at the plate for a moment. The food was still hot and steaming, but steaming with…what exactly. Naruto was sure that he didn't want to find out, but he was hungry.

"Oh just eat it! I'm sorry I'm bad! But I'm not going to poison you or anything like that!" Ayame pouted. Naruto shivered for a moment as he looked at her wide smile. Taking one last look at the plate, Naruto sighed. Guess he would put life on the line again. Taking his chopsticks, Naruto eat the food, almost inspecting it with every bit. It was definitely good, but finally Naruto started to eat faster until the bowl was finished. "It was really good," Naruto complimented. Ayame grinned widely before she took the plate and began to wash it.

"I'm glad. Now then off with you. I have to clean the place!" Ayame said as she pushed Naruto out the door. Naruto had just enough time to grab his list before he was forced out. Naruto didn't even want to imagine what she was going to do to the place, but his paranoia aside, he had other things that required his attention. He would have to worry about that later.

The shopping Naruto had done for his stuff had been uneventful to say the least. A lot of the stories that sold what he needed were either destroyed or closed. Naruto did manage to pick up his mic set and flashlight. He also managed to get some night gear, though it was a little too…dark for his tastes. That said, it was better than his orange jumpsuit…and comfier. Come to think of it, people had…complacent with Naruto for the time. They weren't friendly, but they didn't bare him out either and for Naruto that warranted some of the utmost suspicion. When you tend to be on guard then you tend to be…finicky around people. Naruto always kept checking his backside. His eyes tried to look in nine directions at once. It felt less like a shopping trip and more of like a 'find-and-detect-the-enemy' type of thing. Naruto figured it had helped raise his awareness to his environment, but it also made him a little bit anxious.

As Naruto held up the list to his sight for the next item, he jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Naruto was ready to bury the offender into a earthquake-shattering crater. However he reigned in his senses when he realized where he was and stopped just short of Genma's chest. Naruto stiffened when he noticed Genma blink. "Jumpy, aren't you?" Genma asked. Naruto looked at Genma then at his fist before he withdrew said fist a little tiredly.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked. "Well I'm checking up on all my future genin and their status. Looks like you have everything well in hand. Though I have to admit, you got me good. I guess it's more than just your personality that _shakes_ everyone around you," Genma said. To his credit, Naruto didn't react to the obviously obvious taunt. The Hokage and the council had told each other that Naruto's simulator jonin was going to be involved in it. Naruto didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Naruto quickly paid for his things and walked out of the store along with Genma. The two walked together in silence until Genma decided to speak. "Naruto, why didn't you tell me?" Genma asked finally. Naruto chuckled.

"Honestly? I don't trust you sensei. I haven't been in the most trusting mood of anyone for awhile now. To be honest I don't even really trust Kiba or Ino," Naruto said making Genma narrow his eyes. "Naruto, even in the job of shinobi there is trust that must be attained. Even the most hardcore shinobi never got to where they were without help or trust in someone. If you can't trust me, then how can I trust you to have my back when we go out on a real mission?" Genma asked. Naruto turned a small look at him. He didn't reply to that because he didn't have one.

"Naruto, trust is a two-way street. You can't expect me to trust you and you not extend the same courtesy to me," Genma said and Naruto suddenly laughed. "'Hey Genma-sensei, I just had a terrible birthday where the villagers tried to drown me, but don't worry from the drowning I got a power that allows me to create shockwaves and earthquakes. You know Genma-sensei, I was also the one who destroyed Konoha twice because I tried to control my power. So sorry that my paranoia of the villagers is keeping me from trusting you and my team!' Would you have honestly believed that?" Naruto asked with a small glare. Genma rubbed the back of his head.

"Not when you would have done it that pathetically. It at least answers the question of why it didn't seem like you were putting effort into taijutsu practice. You were scared your power would come up again and you would hurt us. Admit it or not Naruto, but you while you might be…cautious, you haven't lost your ability to care about others," Genma said as he kept walking. Naruto stopped in the street as Genma waved a hand to him. Naruto watched him go before he bit his lower lip.

"Oh I forgot to tell you. You have training with the Anbu in a private location which I will take you to. This training will happen the week that you're with the night patrol. It will be in the afternoon so be sure to get your morning sleep," Genma said before he continued walking. Naruto watched him go before he balled his fists before he marched off somewhere else.

-x-

Currently, Hiruzen was at his desk drawing notes and reminiscing about Naruto's use of his ability. There wasn't an exact name for it. All Sarutobi knew what that it was truly a one-of-a-kind ability. He had spent a long while with his council trying to come up with some form of training regimen for Naruto to perform. Ever since the other three had seen his ability, Naruto had effectively been the topic of their discussion a number of times. It was effective to say that the blonde truly impacted the three of them. He had never seen his council so lively though Sarutobi could hear the inner workings of their thoughts. Now they prided themselves on Naruto and his destructive powers to bring about some type of Konoha superiority over the other nations. It was giving Hiruzen a headache if he were honest.

Suddenly a knock on the door came and Sarutobi quickly looked up. "Enter," Hiruzen said only to frown when he noticed Danzo come through. "Good morning Hiruzen," Danzo said as the Sandaime leaned forward.

"I'm not giving Naruto-kun those missions yet Danzo," Sarutobi said firmly however he noticed the old war hawk hold up a hand. "I did not come to talk with you about that. However it's about the…power he has in general. Uzumaki Naruto's power is indeed fascinating. In fact I dare say it to be on a far superior level to any dojutsu that the world could come up with. I believe we should carry out a team to discover if more of these exist! The endless possibilities for their discovery would benefit not just Konoha, but also the shinobi world," Danzo said while Sarutobi blew a puff of smoke.

"We have no method of finding them even if we did. Naruto-kun…claims that he believes it came from a fruit he ate. How many fruits are out there in the shinobi world? That would be a waste of resources for us. However we also have to take into consideration the disadvantages. Naruto-kun has said he felt weak in water. That would greatly leave Konoha susceptible to Suiton users and especially Kirigakure in general. Is that a true glaring weakness that we want?" Sarutobi asked.

"Then we will have to test the Uzumaki on how we can overcome these weaknesses. He is sure to become one of, if not the, strongest person in the world. We have to make sure he uses this power for Konoha. I just want us to train him appropriately while looking for more resources to our disposal. The discovery of these could flip the shinobi world in a much more incredible direction," Danzo said. Hiruzen intertwined his fingers. He admitted that he was curious as well, but he remembered where too much curiosity could lead a person. Hiruzen didn't want to go down that path.

"We will see tomorrow," Sarutobi said. Danzo watched him go back to his work. With a small huff, Danzo bowed before he left the room leaving Hiruzen alone. When the door closed, Sarutobi placed a finger to his temple. Great, he did not need a headache this early.

-x-

The night came quickly. Naruto yawned as he leaned up and rubbed his eyelids. Quickly getting to his feet, he placed on his black gear and grabbed his mic set. The night patrol shouldn't have been too hard, but Naruto figured it might have been harder than what he had truly thought it out to be.

Naruto made careful work to not wake Ayame from her sleep as her own futon was right next to his. Naruto quickly strapped his shinobi pouch to his leg and then quickly moved to grab some other tools. He then grabbed his new flashlight and left the apartment via his outing. He hopped onto the roof before looking at the village blanketed in the shadows of the moon. A lot of the places were out on their lights. The entire village was coated in darkness. With a sigh, Naruto made his way for his destination.

It was a good thing it wasn't far away as Naruto noticed Kiba, Ino and Genma waiting for him near the back wall of the village. Naruto quickly landed down before offering everyone a greeting. "Right on time Naruto. Very good," Genma said. Naruto gave a small snort before he noticed Ino and Kiba decked out in their attire as well. Ino grinned.

"You should stick to black Naruto. It suits you in some way," Ino said making Naruto raise an eyebrow to the compliment. Kiba huffed as he folded his arms. Akamaru gave his master a disappointing look before Genma cleared his throat. "Alright you three. We'll begin our night patrol. I will search sector A. Kiba will search B, Ino C, and Naruto F. We will reconvene at sector D in six hours. Keep your mics active at all times," Genma instructed. The three shivered at the look of seriousness in their normally relaxed sensei. Though Genma didn't have that look for long before he smiled.

"It gets easier with time. Alright you three, fan out," Genma said. Ino and Kiba nodded. Naruto merely turned on his heel and went to start his patrol. He watched Ino shakingly go to her sector while Kiba swallowed a small lump in his throat as he walked off. Genma seemed to be more amused than anything. Naruto turned back to the darkness and shivered. He trudged forward. How hard could it be?

"I really need to learn to stop doing that," Naruto said to himself as he flashed his light over some of the parts of town. Naruto sighed. The one thing about paranoia…it had a ways of intensifying in the dark. Naruto rubbed the back of his head. What if someone snuck up on him and knocked him out again? What if they jumped him and tried to drown him again? No, Naruto could fight them off now probably. But what if he were ambushed? What if shinobi were involved? The thought of burning alive, being electrocuted, being buried, being drowned, or being sliced in half weighed on Naruto's mind. In many dark corners and alleys he tried to look as best he could. It was abnormally dark and the foreboding feelings in the depths of his body weren't going away. With a steady breath, Naruto continued through Sector F. He breathed a small sigh as he walked through the village.

Swiftly, Naruto jumped as a trashcan fell over. He flashed his light over to the garbage disposal to only notice a small cat. It glared at him before it shot off behind a building. "Damn cat," Naruto said to himself before he continued walking. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat as he passed a corner.

"T-T-Testing 1-2-3, Naruto…Kiba, you there?" Naruto blinked as his earpiece went off. Obviously it sounded like Ino. Naruto tapped his earpiece. "What is it? You find trouble?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes.

"Ummm, no. I just wanted to know if…erm…you guys found anything," Ino said softly. Naruto wasn't sure, but he almost positive that he heard a girlish yelp from the mic before he pinched the bridge of his nose. Looked like someone couldn't handle the night time. Though if Naruto were honest, he was feeling that way as well.

"Hey guys how about we all leave the com. open, ya know so…you guys can talk to me if you're scared. Heh, no way in hell am I scared!" Kiba said making Ino and Naruto snort. Though Naruto admitted that having the distraction from everything else was much appreciated. He wouldn't tell them that though.

"Whatever dog-breath. So Naruto, you find anything?" Ino asked. Naruto continued walking. "Other than the fact these parts are known for their damn cats, I haven't found anything. This is boring!" Naruto claimed. It was a claim that Kiba and Ino could agree with. However Naruto shivered as he heard the sounds of a can being hit behind him. Turning around, Naruto saw nothing. He narrowed his eyes for a moment.

"Do we really have to go through four hours of this?" Naruto heard Kiba ask. Shaking his head, Naruto continued walking through Sector F. Ino gulped as she walked through her sector. Kiba did the same along with Akamaru. Naruto walked through the mist of the area that was slowly starting to settle in.

About an hour and a half passed by for Naruto as he continued to wander the deafened areas of the F sector he had been assigned to. Why were they even doing this? They said that it was because Konoha had suspected the enemy of attacking via the earthquakes, but Naruto had confessed and…manipulated some of the truth that he had done it. So why were they still doing this? Even for a simulation, this was too much. Is this what some shinobi on the night patrol felt? This terror of being attacked? This terror of being exposed? Naruto didn't like it.

Many times Naruto had threatened to resort to his powers just to make things scatter. One thing Naruto noted about himself was that the had a very itchy trigger finger when he was on alert. Naruto honestly felt like he was being followed. He didn't know by what or who, but the point stood that he was being followed and he didn't like it.

Naruto had glanced back multiple times, but saw nothing. When you live like this you have to be aware…even when you have been deceived. When Naruto heard something shake behind him, he stopped. He closed his eyes for a moment and walked forward. As Naruto kept walking he could hear the distinct sound of footsteps. When he stopped, they stopped. When he walked, they walked. Naruto shivered. "I…think I'm being followed," Naruto said into his mic. Ino and Kiba shivered as well.

"Hey man, don't even joke about that!" Kiba said while Naruto kept his walking as steady as he could. He quickly turned a corner before he darted behind a tree. "Naruto? Naruto! Are you serious?!" Kiba asked into the mic. Naruto growled.

"Of course I'm serious! I'm gonna try and get the jump on him!" Naruto said as he pressed his back against a wall. The footsteps grew louder and even more frantic. However, suddenly they stopped. Naruto didn't move. He looked out the corner, but all he could see was darkness. The cold mist slowly started to settle in as Naruto stilled his breath. It was then that Naruto felt something scratch his leg. Quickly Naruto coated his fist in the quake bubble before he shouted and made to slam the ground or the offender next to him. Naruto's fist stopped inches from…the same cat he had seen on the trash bins before it ran off. Naruto and the cat looked at each other. Strange, Naruto didn't recall the cat being so drenched. It pawed at him for a moment. Naruto looked at the cat before he looked at his fist. _"Heh, some shinobi I turn out to be. Scared because of a damn cat,"_ Naruto thought to himself. He looked at the cat before he paused. Wait, what id the cat was a distraction?! What if the person was observing him right now?

Glancing down, Naruto saw the cat paw at his black pants before he growled. Okay Naruto, calm down. Just calm down. Use the damn brains that people seemed to deny you having! "Okay it's dark here. If someone wanted to observe me then they would need to be able to see in the dark. I hope I'm suppressing my chakra enough. I don't feel anything. I think I should be SAAAAFE!" Naruto shouted before he looked down to see the cat in his jacket.

"Hey get out of there! I'm not a fuckin' hotel dattebayo! Get out of my clothes! You're ruining my assignment!" Naruto growled out while the cat snuggled into his cozy, warm, soft night gear. Naruto looked at the cat's ears as they twitched happily. The cat mewled before it snuggled up further. "Why me? What did I do to deserve this? I confessed already!" Naruto shouted to the heavens as best he could.

"Yo Naruto, you went silent. How are things on your end?" Kiba said into the mic while Naruto stood in front of a vending machine. He quickly inserted some money and pulled out a small bag of hardened fish. "Everything is fine. I think the person following me stopped and disappeared. I'm continuing my patrol," Naruto said as he opened the bag. He quickly held a piece of fish in front of the cat that had been invading his privacy. The cat looked at the fish before catching the treat in its mouth. Naruto eat a piece as well before moving on.

The next four hours, Naruto could never have imagined it was possible, but it was, were uneventful as Naruto as his new, unwanted, companion continued to walk through Konoha's sector F. Anything, literally ANYTHING, would have been better than this. Naruto had long since run out of treats to eat as he finished his patrol of the F sector. He supposed now would have been a good time to make his way to sector D like Genma had said he and his team should have. As Naruto turned around he gawked when he saw a light in the distance. He took a step back. An enemy? "No way! What enemy would use a flashlight so I could see them?" Naruto asked himself as a bead of sweat fell down his face. He really didn't believe his own words. Quickly Naruto tensed up as the person came into view.

"Looks like I was right. I was following one of the simulator genin from the academy course. You know, you're a very cautious person. Almost…too cautious," a voice spoke up as Naruto noticed a woman with brown hair tied into a ponytail coming towards him. The red marks on the sides of her cheek were a dead giveaway as to who she was, or at least to what clan she was from. The three dogs next to her helped as well. "You can't be too careful," Naruto said answering her. The woman seemed to consider his point for a moment before nodding.

"You would be right. Though shouldn't you be with your simulator jonin-sensei instead of wandering around here?" she asked. Naruto snorted as he folded his arms. "I was assigned to look around Sector F. I was about to rejoin my team until I met you," Naruto said to which she sighed.

"Who is your jonin-sensei?" she asked. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the question. "Why do you want to know?" He asked. He backed away slightly when he saw one of the dogs growl at him. He sent the dog a small look before turning back to the woman in question.

"Because I'm a chunin and you're still technically in the academy. You should know that when addressing a more experienced shinobi then all matters concerning shinobi affairs should be treated seriously. Unless you have something to hide," she said with something of a smile that made Naruto a bit more on edge.

As if the universe hadn't decided to stop fucking him over for one day, the cat quickly appeared from Naruto's chest which forced the dogs to growl. "Does this count as something to hide?" Naruto asked a little more smart-assed then he would have thought possible. The woman looked at the cat before chuckling.

"Doesn't look like my dogs like her, but I suppose it's not a problem, though you might be another problem," she said and Naruto rolled his eyes. "My sensei is Shiranui Genma. Anything else?" Naruto asked impatiently. The woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"Shiranui Genma, then you must be Uzumaki Naruto. You would have to be teammates with Yamanaka Ino and Inuzuka Kiba," she said and if Naruto wasn't on edge then, he definitely was now. "And how would you know that?" Naruto asked. The woman offered him a pleasant smile.

"No real reason. I just hope my idiot brother isn't causing you any trouble?" she said which made Naruto pause. Brother? She was Kiba's sister? Come to think of it, Naruto did see a woman/teen drop Kiba off to the academy a couple of times. She didn't seem old enough to be his mother. Naruto just figured it was one of the Inuzuka's many clansmen. Well, he was half-right he supposed.

"Nice to meet you Naruto-san. I'm Hana Inuzuka," she said extending her hand. Naruto looked down at the offering gesture for a brief second. The scroll Hiruzen had given him had told him that one could write seals on their body. Could…she paralysis him if he touched her? Cursing himself, Naruto shook his head and reached out his hand slowly. He shook it with a feeling of uneasiness and uncertainty. Hana seemed to recognize this before stopping.

"I'm not going to eat you, you know," she said good-naturedly. However Naruto's look was what stunned her. "No, I don't know. Look, I need to go," Naruto said as he moved past Hana and the growling dogs. The cat hissed at the three, but its hisses were silenced when Naruto attempted to placate it the only way he knew how which was to rub it…her coated her. Her aggression faded into soft purrs as Naruto walked away.

With the four hours up, Naruto walked into sector D. Dear god, that was a nightmare and a half to deal with. Though Naruto also had another nightmare to deal with. "How long are you going to be in my clothes?" Naruto asked. The cat mewled happily as her fur tickled Naruto's neck. Naruto grumbled to himself. "Whatever, have it your way," Naruto said as he found Kiba and Ino waiting at their spot. Naruto sweatdropped. Both looked insanely exhausted. Perhaps this was half from walking around all-night and half of being scared at nearly every waking noise. Ino's hair seemed to be a mess and Kiba just seemed to be hella tired. Naruto couldn't blame them it was probably six in the morning with how the sun was rising. Naruto had to admit, he was getting tired as well.

"Looks like we all made it," Kiba said with a hard yawn. Naruto scratched his head while Ino nodded with a yawn. "Though it looks like Naruto picked up a straggler. Why did I think you would come back with something from this trip? You always have to look for something don't you?" Ino asked irritably. Naruto's eyebrow twitched in frustration as he looked down at the sleeping cat in his jacket. Akamaru was actually too tired to give his thoughts…or barks, on the cat. It was much too late for that.

"Not by choice, alright! Look I am tired, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You try finding something entertaining to do four SIX hours!" Naruto demanded. He quickly caught himself and sighed. Looked like he wasn't faring any better. "Ahh music to my ears. The sounds of misery from my genin," the three turned and glared as they saw Genma come to them.

"Good work team," Genma said. He seemed to be waiting for them to do something before Ino took the hint and tiredly jabbed Kiba and Naruto. "Anything else Genma-sensei?" The three asked/saluted. Genma formed a small smile. He could see them trying to be attentive, but their bodies were tired. They were only ten after all.

"Nope. Good work my genin. We'll meet at this same place tomorrow. We have a good week ahead of us. Dismissed," Genma said before he vanished out of sight. Naruto groaned as he saw Ino and Kiba trudge back their abodes. Naruto decided to do the same. He quickly walked to his apartment, opened his door, tore off his clothes, found the fuckin' willpower to get in the shower for a small hot bath and then get out. He then quickly and tiredly fell to his futon and was effectively knocked out from the ordeal. As Naruto fell asleep, the cat landed down to his futon. She looked at him for a brief moment before she pushed herself near his arms. She quickly curled her tail around her body before she fell asleep as well, very tired from wandering the nights. Slowly, the sun started to appear over the horizon as Naruto's light snoring could be heard in the room.

* * *

 _ **KG: I know someone will point out that it will be a massive mistake for Naruto to reveal his powers to the council, but he needs control and he doesn't know the best method to do this. He can't keep destroying Konoha in the attempts to get that control. Besides, its far better to be the manipulator than the manipulated. It's all according to the Uzumaki plan, baby!**_

 _ **Darling: Honey! We have target practice today!**_

 _ **KG: You are not shooting an apple off my head!**_

 _ **Honey: Spoilsport. I think I'm doing good.**_

 _ **KG: Why was this a good idea again? I mean I could have taught marital arts, hand-to-hand combat, knife skills, but it had to be a gun.**_

 _ **Sweetie: We can learn those too.**_

 _ **KG: OH NO YOU DON'T!**_

 _ **Wifey: You can't stop meh! Well you can if you…need help writing a lemon!**_

 _ **KG: Get out!**_

 _ **KG: Ugh, we're done here. Stay Breezy, protect what's important to you, review, and SEND ME CREAM SODA! Also BUILD A GREAT SHRINE TO MIRANDA-SAMA!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**KG: Well I guess I'm back. I guess you can consider this a little Thanksgiving present from me to you. I had actually planned to not write anything until the New Year, but this wormed its way into my heart. Along with your gut-wrenching, sobbing cries.**_

 _ **KG: YES THE CAT IS IMPORTANT NOW STOP PM-ING ME!**_

 _ **Music of the Week: Nordica by Ason ID & K-391**_

 _ **Quote: "When you start out in a team, you have to get the teamwork going and then you get something back," by**_ _ **Michael Schumacher**_ _ **.**_

* * *

A resounding explosion rocked the very foundations of the lands for miles. The ground ripped up the trees sending them toppling over into the ground. The animals that resided in the forests had long since scattered off from the vibrations. In the furtherest corner of his view was a hill. While he wasn't very good at long distance calculations or anything…statistical he did know that the quakes reached quite far. At the center of the earthly storm, Naruto stood panting as the sweat dripped from his shoulders. One thing about this power, it might not have drained chakra, but it sure as hell drained his energy fast. "Better than last time Uzumaki," Naruto heard before turning his head slightly to see one of the council members, Shimura Danzo, staring at the wide destruction with an expression that Naruto just couldn't identify.

If one had asked Naruto how he truly felt about not only having a council member watch him, but also at least ten other top-tier shinobi then he would have told them that it was a rather overwhelming feeling. For academy students, it is rare to even see anbu and even rarer to interact with them, but right now Naruto was clearly doing both. The thought, strange as it might seem, didn't even make him paranoid, it just made him weary if nothing else. "Arigatou Danzo-sama," Naruto replied respectfully. Hiruzen had been adamant about Naruto showing the proper respect to shinobi. Normally Naruto wouldn't have cared, but in order to keep up this…facade of innocence then Naruto would have to play this way. Perhaps it was also worth mentioning that Naruto knew next to nothing about Danzo, and especially nothing about these Anbu so he would rather not come off on the wrong foot.

Danzo nodded to Naruto's answer before turning to face the Anbu and in a voice that commanded authority, he spoke. "You all have been selected as the best that the Anbu has to offer and have born witness to this S-class secret. I trust you all to know what will happen if you let this escape. We will not have another incident like the previous one. Do I make myself clear?!" Danzo asked dangerously, a white glint in his eyes apparent. Naruto had to admit, the old man could be terrifying when he had to. He honestly wondered if the Hokage was the same way.

Swiftly the Anbu saluted. "Hai Danzo-sama!" They said unison surprising Naruto. Obviously there was a vast difference between the professionalism of genin and Anbu. Genin complained and complained about things, but Anbu sucked it up and did it anyway. There wasn't a single sigh, complaint, or whine. They just did it. Naruto admitted it, that was pretty cool. Though the fact that all of them could easily take him down if needed didn't feel him with a lot of…comfort. The Anbu could really do worse than the villagers…if they had to. He widened his brows when Danzo's hand rested on his back pushing him forward slightly.

"You will all be working with Uzumaki Naruto on a daily basis to help him control this power. Not only is this training for him, but it is also training for you as well. Take a look at the destruction. You have never fought such wide-scale destruction before. Consider this your opportune time to do so! Anything Uzumaki needs then you will provide it to him. The penally for anymore harm coming to him will be severe if you do not prevent it. I suggest you all take an active role in the boy's life. I suggest you set up a system, but beyond that it is in your hands. As any Konoha shinobi, Uzumaki is a comrade and now he is one of your official training partners. Treat him well," Danzo said to them. The ten quickly nodded.

"HAI Danzo-sama!" They replied making Danzo nod one more time. Danzo then turned back to Naruto. "Just as you expect trust from them, they expect trust from you Uzumaki Naruto. You know the full penalty of revealing the identities, intentions, or secrets of Anbu is severe as well. Understood?!" Diazo asked. Naruto took a small glance to the Anbu. He noticed them looking down at him from the slight decline of their masks. With a calming breath, Naruto nodded.

"Hai Danzo-sama," Naruto said making Danzo nod before he pulled out a schedule. "Uzumaki can only train for three more hours before he has to return to his team. Use this time wisely," Danzo said before he walked off from the now barren wasteland that was once a forest. It had taken a bit of time, but the council was able to find a place far off for Naruto to train….36 miles away from the nearest Konoha outpost.

That first week had been rough for Naruto, because in addition to this new training he also had his night duties. The hardest part had been Genma and Naruto's explanation to Ino and Kiba about Naruto doing some other private training. Kiba had claimed it to be unfair until Genma had pointed that Ino and Kiba got extra training from their families. That had silenced them good thankfully, yet Naruto being anxious could somehow feel that Ino and Kiba wouldn't be satisfied forever with that answer.

Once Danzo was out of sight, Naruto looked up at the tall Anbu. Expert shinobi, stealthy killers, and expert assassinators; that was the Anbu in a single package. Comrades? Did Naruto even truly have any comrades? He truly doubted that he did. Still that didn't mean that they couldn't make him stronger. Perhaps it was this resolve that helped Naruto shake the Anbu's hand when it was extended to him. "We look forward to working with your Uzumaki-san," the obvious leader of the group said to him. Naruto just nodded before forcing the smile on his face.

"Y-Yeah. Same to you dattebayo!" Naruto tried to reply exuberantly, but he was definitely sure that they noticed his hesitation. They all quickly introduced themselves by their codenames: Boar, Cat, Fox, Ox, Bird, Raccoon, Snake, Deer, Monkey, and Tiger. A rather interesting bunch of people, Naruto figured. That said, the group had three hours more before Naruto had to return to the village.

"Umm so what should we do?" Naruto asked them. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a couple of chuckles which almost made him pout. Even if that wasn't the case, he wouldn't give them the satisfaction. Naruto just straightened up before Boar spoke. "As this is our first training session together perhaps it would be prudent that we all start with the basics then work ourselves from there," Boar suggested. No one in the group seemed to go against him so Naruto decided not to either.

"I guess we could start some chakra control exercises if you're fine with it," Naruto said to them all. Genma had attempted drill into Naruto that chakra control was the foundation of shinobi arts. Plus he said this was a good way to start anything. Given that Naruto didn't know any of these people, then he would have liked for something for them to do together…or at least where he could see them. Definitely not with his back turned though. "Hmph stupidity," Naruto and the other Anbu turned to see Snake snort as he folded his arms.

"Don't think that just because Danzo-sama called us 'partners' that you are on our level, kid. I will conduct my own exercises. When we are ready to begin then I will return. Not before," Snake said before turning around and walking off. Naruto's eyebrow twitched.

"I'm almost inclined to agree with Snake. I will do my own exercises and will return. Have fun training," Tiger said with an almost low feminine voice before walking off without a word. Naruto and the other eight watched her go before Naruto narrowed his eyes. Is this how he, Ino, and Kiba acted when they were first paired? Naruto didn't think they were this bad, but he could tell that this was going to be a problem. Naruto could see the others seeming to contemplate the same thing. Naruto truly didn't want any of them gone. He didn't trust them that much. One move and he could be dead.

"Hmph well forget them!" Naruto said making Boar and the other seven who stayed look at him. "If they don't wanna train as a team then I'll just demote them to Genin when I become Hokage!" Naruto proclaimed. Due to their masks, Naruto wasn't sure he could place an expression.

"You wish to become Hokage?" Boar asked. Naruto's smirk betrayed the many thoughts in his mind. He still didn't know the answer to that question. It would have been easy for him to say yes, but try as hard as he wanted to deny it, with each passing day he felt less and less for the village and villagers. The only thing he could say was that…. "I want to be someone who will be taken seriously!" Naruto admitted. The eight anbu looked at him.

"You believe the Hokage is taken seriously?" Cat asked. Naruto snorted. "You all responded to councilman Danzo-sama with absolute respect. He's not Jiji so I believe that if you wold take him seriously then you would take Jiji a hundred times more seriously," Naruto remarked. Cat seemed to nod to herself while Boar cleared his throat.

"An admirable, if difficult goal. We will do our best to help you get there. Now then, let's not dawdle and begin those exercises" Boar said. Naruto and the others agree before sitting in the barren wasteland. The hot sun and singing birds were in the air as they practiced their leaf-exercises. Naruto had to hand it to the Anbu. They definitely had a lot more focus than the average shinobi.

After the exercises came more physical conditioning which Naruto had to say that he was vastly outmatched there. The Anbu was easily able to do more push-ups, sit-ups, and laps than he could. Still try as he might, Naruto couldn't lose his competitive nature. Iruka called it one of his redeeming qualities when used in certain circumstances. However in the end, it was difficult for Naruto to pull the same amount of effort as his 'partners' had done. Not impossible, just extremely difficult. Bird pointed it out that they were older and their bodies were more developed which was why they could do this. However Naruto didn't let that entirely slow him down which was why, much to their amusement, he was now on the floor gasping for breath and about to die. "We told you to take it easy Uzumaki-san. This is your own fault," Raccoon said.

"Shut. Up!" was Naruto's reply. Ox shook his head as did the other Anbu, but either Naruto's ears were ringing or he heard more chuckling. No freakin' way was that possible.

Five minutes and a bottle of water later, Naruto and the others noticed Tiger and Snake return. The entire exercise had at least taken forty-five minutes. "Have you finished your exercises?" Boar asked. "Of course I did. I should be asking you that with the boy slowing you down," Snake said. However Boar pointed.

"He stayed with us pretty well. It seems he already knows the concept of teamwork better than you two," Boar said making Tiger and Snake twitch. Both said nothing while Naruto took a sigh.

"Let's just get started dattebayo!" Naruto remarked. The ten Anbu quickly nodded. They quickly backed away from Naruto and awaited his actions. Naruto stood at the opposite end of the crater he had made earlier before taking a still breath. He glanced at Snake and then at Tiger. He would make them take him seriously. With a sharp inhale, Naruto swung his fist in their direction. The Anbu quickly watched the earth rip their way. They quickly dashed away from the explosive forces coming their way. Boar quickly landed to the ground. _"A truly terrifying power if used correctly,"_ Boar thought to himself. He turned his head and noticed Ox forming handsigns.

" **Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique),"** Ox said before blowing a large fireball in Naruto's direction. Naruto had seen the fireball technique many times in his life by Sasuke performing it for the class. However he had never in his life felt such heat from a fire jutsu like this before. The fireball was quickly coming his way. At this moment, Naruto took note of one thing. Ox was taking him seriously. He was fighting how an Anbu would fight another. Naruto realized another thing. He would get no slack from these guys. None at all.

Quickly forming the white orb around his fist, Naruto turned back to the fireball and, with a loud cry, slammed his fist into the air cracking it in the direction of the fireball. The shockwave the erupted from Naruto's fist quickly slammed into the fireball before quickly breaking it apart and continuing on towards Ox. The Anbu didn't have the time to show surprise before they dodged away from the impending destruction. However Naruto didn't have the time to relax as he felt cold steel against his throat. He paused. "You didn't keep an eye on all of us," Tiger said making Naruto shiver. She could have killed him…that easily? Quickly Tiger removed her sword from his throat.

"Not being aware of your surroundings means your death. You would do well to remember that," she said as she walked away. Naruto cursed as he rubbed his throat. He watched the ten quickly come back together before maintaining the same position. Naruto glared at them all. These new teammates of his…he hated them all. Truly. With another cry, Naruto launched a shockwave at them. As the training sessions continued, the Anbu continued to point out Naruto's many errors while still attempting to train. However the three hours passed and for the second time, Naruto fell to his knees as the sweat dropped from his face. He looked up and he was surprised, angry, and stiffened that the others didn't even look tired. A little winded, but not tired.

"Let's head back to the village," Boar said. The others agreed and quickly collected their scattered kunai and belongings. As Naruto slowly got up he noticed Boar with his hand extended. Naruto looked at the hand for a moment before taking it. "The first session is always the hardest," Boar said bringing Naruto to his feet. Naruto looked at the tall man for but a moment before going to collect his things.

-x-

The trip back to Konoha was rather uneventful. None of the Anbu were particularly talkative and Naruto wasn't in the mood to take himself as they all raced back to the village. To Naruto…36 miles had been longer than he expected it to be, but they had managed it just a little before tomorrow's sunrise. It was still late at night when they returned, but for Naruto that was fine. With a bid of farewell from _some_ of the Anbu, Naruto watched them leave before trudging his way home.

Thankfully not too many people were out and about around this time so Naruto was able to go home without any hassle. When he unlocked his door, Naruto came through. Of course the lights would still be out. It had only been a week since he stopped his night patrol. Naruto was dead tired. He quickly glanced to the table and noticed a bowl of ramen with a note on it. "Welcome Home," Naruto read the note as he looked at the smiley face drawn on it. Naruto's gaze softened a moment before he sat down at the table. He quickly said his prayers before he ate the ramen. As expected it was cold, but the flavor wasn't lost on Naruto at all. It was a very comforting feeling. It appeared that Ayame settled in rather well in Naruto's abode. Well that was fine.

Naruto shivered as something grazed his legs. He looked down and sighed when he saw the cat from the beginning night of his night patrol looking at him with her wide eyes. "I wake you up?" Naruto asked. She quickly hopped to his leg before laying herself comfortably. Naruto rolled his eyes before he quickly devoured his food, washed the bowl, and took a shower. He walked into the bedroom and noticed Ayame in her futon. Holding his new…pet, Naruto climbed into his own futon and fell asleep, exhausted from the day's events. The cat looked at him for a moment before she rubbed her furry cheek to Naruto's cheek. She fell asleep too.

That next morning, having been wished a great day by Ayame, Naruto quickly moved himself tiredly through the village. 'I told you to stay home!" Naruto said his cat that followed him without a complaint. Naruto groaned as he looked at her silky, white fur. Her piercing cat eyes merely stared at him as Naruto sighed. "Why me dattebayo?!" Naruto asked before he came back to his familiar training field. Naruto quickly took note of Genma, Ino, and Kiba waiting for him.

"You're late baka!" Ino said making Naruto groan. "I was up late doing something important. Get of my back Ino!" Naruto shot back. He was much too tired for this. Ino withered under Naruto's gaze before Kiba chuckled. Genma just shook his head at the group before clearing his throat.

"And here I thought you would all be happy that I decided for us to take a mission today. I guess not," Genma said. He noted the bright look in Kiba and Naruto's eyes. Ino seemed to be excited too, but not nearly as much as the two young boys. "A mission? What are we going to do? Fight an army, rescue a princess, save a nation?" Kiba asked. Genma looked at the three with a smile that sent shivers down their spines. Naruto could honestly feel like he didn't want to know the answer to this question actually. From the way that Genma was smiling, Naruto could tell that things were going to be bad. Maybe bad was putting it in _good_ terms.

If you had to ask Genma how he felt at the moment, then he would have told you that he felt a sense of peace, happiness, and elation from the look of dread over his students and their faces. Naruto seemed to be taking it better than Ino or Kiba, though the Inuzuka looked absolutely devastated as his…paintbrush moved over the side of the wall. "You call this a mission? Why are we painting someone's fence?!" Kiba asked angrily while Genma leaned against an opposite railing as he watched his students work.

"You didn't think you'd get the good missions when you're not even officially genin, did you? These are missions even I had to do when I was a genin. I now understand why sensei smiled so much when she watched us work," Genma said as he rolled his senbon in his mouth while he gave a small grin. Kiba growled before he moved himself back to his chores. Ino uttered a loud sigh while Naruto continued working. It was suffice to say that this wasn't Naruto's idea of a mission either and trust Naruto that he really wanted to pull his damn hair out in frustration of it all, but the downside to that was…he was SO tired! The effects of training with the ten Anbu were quickly coming down on him and the rest he had gotten hadn't been nearly enough as he would have liked it to be. Then there was the run back to Konoha, it hadn't been pleasant. Naruto could attest to that. Though if he were also honest he would have admitted that he found this to not be so taxing and somewhat relaxing from yesterday.

Slowly Naruto's hand stopped as he remembered yesterday. Danzo might have said it, but in Naruto's mind and the Anbu's mind…Naruto was no partner nor comrade. Naruto was going to be honest he would have liked to be as far away from anyone with weaponry with his back turned. Every single minute he had been in their presence had been taxing on his mentality of whether or not they would actually make good on his fears and merely thrust a sword through his chest from contempt. The mere thought forced a bead of sweat down Naruto's forehead. He wasn't going to let that happen again! Not again!

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Naruto flinched and jerked away from Ino in surprise. The look of confusion on her face made Naruto curse. "What's the matter with you Naruto? I've been calling you for the past minute!" Ino said while Naruto glanced to see Kiba and Genma looking at him. The smile on Genma's face was replaced with a small frown and a raised eyebrow. Naruto took a steadying breath.

"I was thinking about something," Naruto said which made Ino and Kiba chuckle. "Really? I didn't know the dead last thought about anything!" Kiba said with a smirk. Naruto glared sharply at Kiba who seemed to be laughing heartily. Ino seemed to have a couple of chuckles much to Naruto's chagrin.

"So…what were you 'thinking about'?" Ino asked. Naruto couldn't very well tell them that it was about the training he had been doing with the Anbu. He had promised not to and Naruto still had his damn integrity! Even if he felt this village wasn't deserving of it. "Genma-sensei," Naruto called out making Genma lean up.

"Hmmm, what's up?" Genma asked. Naruto dropped his paintbrush for a moment before he turned to face his simulator sensei. "If you had jerks for teammates that only wanted to train with you when they wanted to, and they called themselves your comrades, what would you do?" Naruto asked. At this Kiba and Ino twitched.

"You calling us jerks Naruto?!" Kiba asked angrily as he took a step forward. The tick mark over Ino's head quickly enlarged as she slowly cracked her knuckles. However Naruto didn't pay attention to them as he stared at Genma. The jonin looked at Naruto for a moment before taking the senbon from his mouth. "Ino, Kiba, Naruto, when you are strong it's easy to believe that you don't need anyone. Naruto…getting good players is easy. Getting them to play together is the hard part. Just as you, Ino and Kiba are a team, you are also teammates with the entire village. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Those are the single attributes of teamwork. Those who don't work with their teammates aren't fit to train," Genma said sternly. Ino and Kiba shrunk under his gaze while Naruto tightened his own.

Turning around, Naruto went back to his work, though it was a lot quieter. A slight fear compelling him, Naruto looked over to see Ino and Kiba silently working though from the simple up-down motion of their arms, Naruto could tell that they were now thinking like he was. Naruto went back to his work.

-x-

"Are you sure about this, Inoichi?" Hiruzen asked as he the Yamanaka clan head held up a small file. He swiftly nodded while Hiruzen exhaled a tired sigh in sadness. Never in his many years would he have assumed that this would have been possible.

"Hai Hokage-sama. I believe that from his experience, Uzumaki Naruto is entering the early stages of psychosis. From out tac he perceives nearly anyone and everyone to be a threat to him. I call it the early stages because he does show that there are…people he is willing to interact with. Ayame Teuchi being one of them. Other medical experts would call this…Paranoid Personality Disorder or PPD for short," Inoichi said. Sarutobi flipped his fingers through the folder before beckoning Inoichi to speak.

"Hokage-sama, if I may be frank, I believe that informing the village of his circumstances was one of the worst decisions you have made in your career as our Hokage. I also believe that his birthday has had an even more psychological effect on him than we thought. From his drowning, I surmise that there was an imbalance in the chemicals that help regulate his mind. This minor paranoia isn't his fault, but rather its everything around him," Inoichi said. Hiruzen didn't speak for a couple of moments.

"Would this make him a threat?" Sarutobi asked solemnly. Inoichi blinked for a second before sighing. "I don't believe he is anywhere close to that yet Hokage-sama. I believe psychotherapy would be beneficial, but I would like to have sessions with Naruto-kun. As a psychiatrist and medic-nin I can't allow this to continue," Inoichi replied. Hiruzen slowly nodded in agreement as he looked out the window at the semi-destroyed village. It seemed not external, but also internal damage was made as well.

"Do what you can," Hiruzen said. With a bow, Inoichi removed himself from the Hokage's presence and closed the door. Hiruzen looked out the window sadly. He tipped his hat over his eyes in shame. At least no one would see the tears that fell down his face as the file of Naruto's session laid over his desk.

-x-

After the long week of boring, mind-destroying, spirit-breaking D-rank missions Naruto had been contacted by Cat to grab his things and meet his team in the regular spot. A very long 36 miles later, Naruto met the rest of the ten Anbu in the field. If Naruto were honest then he was rather excited for today. Not for the obvious reasons, but rather for something he had been thinking on throughout the past week.

"Good. We're all gathered. Then we can begin our exercises," Boar said. Naruto watched as Snake and Tiger walked off without a single word to the others. Boar merely shook his head while Cat quickly spoke. "We will just have to continue without them," Cat said making Boar and the others agree. Naruto watched the two anbu go off in separate directions before he turned back to his own group. He could tell this was going to be another pain-filled day. Naruto could feel the aching in his muscles already.

The eight anbu watched as Naruto attempted the leaf exercise once again without any improvement. They had been notified by Danzo about Naruto's unfortunate circumstances which was why they could only focus on their own exercises. Deer seemed to be paying close attention to Naruto for a moment before he continued with his own exercises.

Then came the running which, by the end, had Naruto huffing and gasping for breath as his sprawled out over the dirt ground. The surrounding Anbu lifted their masks ever so slightly to take drinks from their water bottles. Quickly Boar knelt before Naruto. "Here, I guess you've earned it," he said placing a spare water bottle next to Naruto before he got up and walked away. The idea of cold, fresh water tempted Naruto's body as he held the bottle in his hands. Naruto looked at the other Anbu drinking, but…it could have been a lie! Maybe…maybe they were drinking to get him to lower his guard and drink too! The water would knock him out and then they would all…

Cursing, Naruto poured the contents of the water onto the ground before he got to his feet and walked away from the grounds. "Uzumaki-san, were are you going?" Raccoon asked as Naruto held the water bottle to his lips, hoping the others would buy this ploy. "There's a river this way dattebayo! I'm gonna refill the bottle for some more. I'll be back soon!" Naruto waved with a wide smile as he ran into the trees.

It hadn't taken him long at all to fill the water bottle as well as get some good…seemingly _untainted_ water to quench his thirst with. Once he returned, he noticed that Snake and Tiger had returned to the group. Naruto looked at the two for a moment. "If we can begin then now would be great. Come on brat, lets hurry this training along!" Snake called out much to Naruto's chagrin. Naruto's eyebrow twitched and…he sat down. "No," Naruto said as he crossed his arms.

The silence in the field was rather calm as Naruto looked at the ten Anbu. They merely stood there unmoving, almost coming to terms with what the blonde had just told them. "Excuse me?" Snake asked as Naruto's frown deepened. "I'm not training with you guys," Naruto said. At that moment, Snake calmly walked over to Naruto and stood before him, his towering form obstructing Naruto's vision of the sun. Naruto kept his body under control under the gaze of the mask of the Anbu.

"I do not have time for your petty grievances. We will begin training immediately, you got that?!" Snake asked as Naruto stood to his feet. He looked at the snake-masked Anbu before he held up a finger and pointed it to the trees. "No, me, Boar-san, Cat-san, Fox-san, Ox-san, Bird-san, Raccoon-san, Deer-san, and Monkey-san will be training here. You and Tiger-san can train over there!" Naruto pointed. If the Anbu didn't have their masks on then Naruto would have seen the awed expressions on each of their faces. Snake glared down at Naruto while Naruto glared upwards.

"If you want to train with us then you're going to stay with us through the whole thing. If you don't then you don't train with any of it. I remember you told me that you and Tiger-san wanted to do your own training. Then you can do it over there while the rest of us do our own training," Naruto said. Snake glared down at Naruto while Tiger balled her fists.

"So now you think you can call the shots brat? You think that now that you have some use to Konoha that you can order an Anbu to do what you want? You really have an inflated ego, don't you?" Snake asked. To his credit, Naruto just glanced away and pouted.

"Naruto-san, I understand what you are saying, but we do need them for this training. Shinobi work with those who even they don't like," Boar said while Naruto turned a small look forward. "No, either they train with us the entire day or not at all. You can't just bring a bunch of people together and call it a team!" Naruto said before he widened his eyes. Quickly the thoughts of Ino, Kiba and himself entered his mind.

"My simulator jonin told me this yesterday, 'Naruto…getting good players is easy. Getting them to play together is the hard part. Just as you, Ino and Kiba are a team, you are also teammates with the entire village. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Those are the single attributes of teamwork. Those who don't work with their teammates aren't fit to train.' Until they participate then I'm not training with them!" Naruto exclaimed. Naruto could honestly say that he was finding a lot of irony in all of this considering how he, Ino and Kiba still acted. Also as he looked down at the water bottle next to him, he also found himself a little…bothered by the statement he had just uttered.

"I do believe Uzumaki-san has a point," everyone turned to see that it was Monkey who had spoken. The Anbu walked forward until he was in line with Snake. "Ever since you and Tiger were recruited to this…'training' you both haven't given a single thought to teamwork. You only do this when there is something convenient to be gotten from the both of you. If I had been a judge for the program, neither of you would have made it," Monkey said. He disregarded the silence from Snake and turned around.

"I do believe the rest of us have the same sentiments as Uzumaki-san. If you want to train with us, that's fine, but you are going to do it willingly and you're going to stay for all of it," Monkey said leaving Tiger and Snake muted. The two glanced to each other for a moment before looking down to Naruto. He was ready to say something else until Tiger took a step forward.

"And just how many of you feel that way?" Tiger asked. Naruto could detect the iciness of her tone as well as the steel in her voice. He could see that she was beginning to get even angrier than he had thought. Still, that didn't stop Naruto from raising his hand high into the air to her question. Monkey soon followed. After them, Tiger and Snake watched Cat, Ox, Bird, Raccoon, Fox, Deer,….and lastly Boar slightly raise their hands. "It seems that the majority have it Snake, Tiger. Until you can both cooperate then you are qualified to train with the rest of us," Monkey said. Tiger turned back to Naruto. Behind her mask, her eyes narrowed. A single boy was able to get 8 out of 10 anbu to rally behind him if for but a moment. Tiger stared heatedly at Naruto before she towered over him to.

"Fine, if that's how you feel then we'll leave!" Tiger said, however Naruto could feel that she wasn't done as she turned around. "However, it's a little unfair to say that just because of us this training would go to waste! Let's see, alright we'll make a wager. We won't train with you all…if Uzumaki-san leads the training for one year," Tiger said with a smirk. Naruto widened his eyes while the others stiffened. Tiger smirked.

"I suppose that's fair. The brat was the one who started it. He seems to think he knows the right ways for us to train. I'll do it if he does it," Snake said as the nervousness in Naruto's body slowly started to explode. The other Anbu glared at the two before Boar took a step forward.

"You expect a ten-year old, not even a genin, to dictate Anbu-level training procedures? That is beyond his capacity to do so at the moment!" Boar argued while Tiger smirked. "Then we all have no problems training since he doesn't know what accurate training is. Is that what you're telling us and that we have just wasted our time listening to a ten-year old's talk?" Tiger asked. Boar remained silent.

"Teammate or not, we can all agree that Uzumaki Naruto is not at our level and I honestly doubt that he will ever be. That is…unless he things he can lead the training for us," Tiger said. As they spoke, Naruto's mind was a whirlwind of activity. He couldn't possibly lead the training. He didn't even know the proper ways to actually start training. He also didn't know how much, how little, or how hard the Anbu actually trained. Plus who was he kidding? He couldn't keep up with them, it was impossible for a ten-year old to compete with Anbu-level shinobi much less train them. However the way this was structured, Naruto could see that none of them would last long if something wasn't done. It pained Naruto and he truly didn't want to do it, but if this was going to work then…then…he was going to have to…give some trust.

"One year right?" Naruto asked shocking everyone, even Snake and Tiger. The two glared at him, but slowly nodded which was followed by Naruto patting his knees. "Fine! I'll do it dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped to his feet.

"Naruto-san, you can't be serious," Monkey replied only for Naruto to give a cheeky grin which belayed the fragility of his mind at the moment. "Uzumaki Naruto doesn't run when there is a challenge!" Naruto. Snake and Tiger seemed to be amused by the whole ordeal and quickly began to move away.

"Well, good luck you nine. You're going to need it," Tiger said chuckling as she and Snake walked off leaving the nine in the field. The rest gathered up to Naruto and Boar knelt before Naruto. "You know how important this is Uzumaki-san. The moment you mess up is the moment that they are proven right. Are you sure you can handle this?" Boar asked. No, Naruto wasn't sure in the slightest that he could pull this off, but something had to be done.

"I will do my best guys. You all backed me up when you did have to. So I'll just do what I can dattebayo. Now come on, we have training to do! We'll show them!" Naruto proclaimed. Though not fully sharing in his enthusiasm, the others quickly followed as Snake and Tiger watched the events unfold.

Naruto quickly gathered the eight Anbu. With a swallow of the lump in his throat, Naruto spoke. "I suppose the first thing we can do is experi…expert…exerpa….test something that's been bothering me," Naruto said. The others glanced to each other for a moment before Ox folded his arms. "What did you have in mind?" he asked. Naruto turned a small look to him before looking around the field. He quickly nodded and turned back to the others.

"I remember during my training with Genma-sensei that he asked us what chakra was. Ino said that chakra consisted of elemental natures like fire, wind, water, lightning, and earth. Does anyone know any cool water jutsu?" Naruto asked. While the others didn't exactly know where the blonde was going with this, Cat, Deer, Boar, and Monkey announced that they had extensive knowledge over water techniques. Naruto grinned widely before he moved to the opposite side of the field. "Fire one at me!" Naruto told them.

"Uzumaki-san, you haven't told us what you're trying to test yet," Monkey said. Naruto quickly answered. "It's my powers. As far as I know I get weak in water. I wanna check if my ability can work against water if the water doesn't touch me. I guess when the destruction stops then I guess we can begin field training!" Naruto exclaimed. The rest seemed a little off about it, but Naruto was the lead for training so they would go with it.

"I will begin Naruto-san!" Cat announced making Naruto nod. However he wasn't prepared for her to so quickly weave through her handsigns. Her hands were a literal blur of activity; however Naruto didn't have the time to be surprised as she spoke. **"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave),"** Cat announced before a flood of water blasted from her mouth and to Naruto's direction. Naruto quickly assumed his stance and brought his arm back. The familiar white orb encased his arm. With a heavy grunt, Naruto slammed it against the air releasing a pent up shockwave that collided with the blasted water technique. Naruto and the Anbu watched as the shockwave effortlessly blasted through the water technique with the same force as they had witnessed a week ago. Cat widened her eyes as the technique came roaring for their location. Seeing this, Naruto quickly withdrew his hand forcing the impact to subside down just a couple of feet from their location.

With time, Naruto quickly rejoined the others. "Okay so I guess the water has to actually touch me in order for my power to not work or for me to feel weak. But something's weird," Naruto said scratching his scalp. "What would that be?" Deer asked. Naruto turned to face them.

"I mean it can't be all times of water. When I was drinking the bottled water that Boar-san gave me I didn't feel weak. When I took a shower this morning I didn't feel weak either," Naruto answered. He watched the others think on the issue as well.

"I theorize that the water has come within a certain volume of your body to take full effect. Or rather I should say that if the water comes up to a certain…height level then the weariness that you claim to feel will take effect as well," Deer pointed out. Naruto slowly nodded before he surveyed the destruction and the remaining water.

"Well we can think on that later. For right now we can try…erm, let's try simulation taijutsu training," Naruto said with a small smile. "Simulation taijutsu training? You mean regular sparring practice?" Cat asked making Naruto shake his head. He quickly pointed out over the barren field before sighing.

"Anyone got a piece of paper?" Naruto asked. A quick return to Fox's pouch and a piece of paper later, Naruto sat on the ground with a pen as he began writing some things that the Anbu couldn't make out just yet. They seemed to look at each other for a moment before Naruto held the paper in front of them. "You have us in pairs for this?" Monkey asked. Naruto quickly nodded with a small grin.

"Yeah the eight of you are going to fight as you normally would using only taijutsu and I'm going to practice my powers without a target. It's like how to get you accustomed to fighting people while I'm using these powers so that you can think ahead and prepare yourself. That make sense? Well keep this up for an hour before moving onto our next activity" Naruto asked. The eight placed their fingers to their chin before Deer slowly brought himself to a nod. "I see. So in the event that would we be in a full-scale battle, you wish for us to become accustomed to you using your powers at any point in time that would regularly catch us off-guard," Deer said. Naruto quickly shook his head positively as the others quickly moved themselves in pairs in accordance to the sheet of the paper.

Naruto could honestly say that he was entranced as he watched the Anbu fight each other with taijutsu. Cat would throw an awesome kick at Fox, or Boar would block a punch from Ox with expert precision and timing. Naruto could see them each concentrating with the focus that could only be described as pure. It almost seemed like nothing could break it, but then again Naruto wasn't nothing. With a still breath, as fast as he could, Naruto slammed his fist into the air making it crack. The force of the vibrations erupted over the field. Naruto could see the Anbu shift in surprise as they nearly fell to their knees. Boar quickly accommodated himself with the messed up kick that he sent at Ox. Ox easily blocked the kick, but when he tried to counter it the vibration quickly messed his center of balance forcing a couple of stumbles from him.

The vibrations didn't subside throughout the entire training period, actually Fox had to think that Naruto was actually varying the changes in vibrations slightly. Where the blonde was able to do this, he wasn't sure, but it was an amazing thing nonetheless. As the Anbu fought to try to keep pace with this new strange regimen they had to admit that it wasn't as easy as they had figured at first. Not even the thunderous sounds or explosions of jutsu being launched one after the other couldn't steel their nerves against the never-ending quakes of Naruto's attacks.

About an hour and a half passed by for the Anbu when the quaking finally stopped. Slowly everyone stopped fighting and for once, Naruto saw the Anbu actually huff from exhaustion. They all actually seemed short of breath as Naruto could hear their pants for air. Particularly in Cat and Fox, he could see their legs shaking. When he walked over to them he smiled. "Genma-sensei always has us reflect over how an exercise felt so when you all catch your breath we'll move on," Naruto said making the Anbu quickly salute him out of reflex.

With their breathing caught, the Anbu quickly sat on the ground with Naruto. It was awkwardly silent for a moment as the wind blew softly across the barren plains. With a cough, Naruto spoke. "So then…guys, how…umm…how did the exercise feel?" Naruto asked. That question seemed to be the ice-breaking thing that made everyone speak.

"I can only speak from personal experience, but I found the training to be difficult even by our standards. As shinobi we are used to fighting on even surfaces, or even planes that don't move unless forcefully done so. Even then I felt a sense that nothing I did could prepare me for the constant, thunderous shaking that came through the ground. The aim of each punch, kick, or style I used was off-center. A learning experience I imagine will come with time." Fox replied.

"I think it would be best if we conducted all of our taijutsu training like this. That way we can better be accommodated to the quakes that Naruto-san generates. Though from this training I would say that this raises another point," Cat said. Everyone looked at her before she settled on Naruto. "That would be Naruto-san even fighting with us. We will have to train with him as well," Cat said until they noticed Naruto's smirk.

"Already got it covered Neko-san!" Naruto said as he got up from his area. He quickly moved himself over to the middle of the field. "You're all Anbu so from your fight you should all be good at Taijutsu right?" Naruto asked rather innocently. No one in the group knew what he was looking for, but nodded regardless. They all watched Naruto quickly pull out one kunai and one shuriken.

"Umm let's see, Genma-sensei usually has Ino, Kiba and me do kunai and shuriken practice. I guess what I'm saying is that I want you all to throw kunai and shuriken at me. Iruka-sensei always claimed that I had a high reaction speed…whatever that meant. But he always said it after we had kunai and shuriken practice. We will each take turns with this and then we will work on some teamwork exercises I guess," Naruto said. None of the Anbu spoke. If anyone could see eight Anbu being ordered around during training by a ten-year old, they would have never believed their eyes. Though Naruto could tell that by the end of this exercise he was going to be hurt…a lot.

"I…hate…all…of…you!" Naruto snarled as Cat quickly began to tend his wounds while the others patched themselves up. "Face it Naruto-san, you don't have the reaction time of an experienced shinobi just yet," Fox said and Naruto wasn't sure, but he thought he heard some mirth in Fox's voice. Naruto snorted, but he couldn't stop the smile on his face that came as well. Slowly…Naruto chuckled and after him came Fox. Deer and Boar soon followed. Bird, Raccoon and Ox didn't say anything but behind their masks the smiles couldn't have been more evident. Monkey and Cat chuckled as well. The nine in the field laughed as Snake and Tiger watched a short time before they snorted, growled, and walked off.

"Okay now then, like I said before I know I'm not on your level, but that's not going to stop me from getting stronger so like in the academy I'm going to fight all of you. One after the other for ten minutes," Naruto said the eight looked at him before they looked at each other. They then looked back at him. "Naruto-san, I understand your need to fight to improve in your taijtutsu, but how does fighting all of us help you?" Cat asked.

"Endurance I guess you could call it. Iruka-sensei always praised my stamina as well as my taijutsu. I guess before the Anbu a B in taijutsu class is nothing, but I think there will come a time where I will fight others stronger than me and there could be more than one of them. There might even be a time where I have to have consecu…consekkur….construct…UGH!" Naruto groaned before Deer helped him out.

"Consecutively, I believe you mean," Deer said which Naruto quickly thanked him for. "Yeah…that. So I figure to work on my taijutsu and stamina at the same time. We'll do this every time we meet," Naruto said. The eight had to nod. It was sound logic when they heard it, though it coming from the perceived dead last of the academy was another eye-opener.

For Naruto, the experience was a hell he had almost never imagined. Each ten minutes felt like an eternity of fighting. Ten minutes for eight people, then that was eighty minutes which translates into an hour and twenty minutes of pure fighting without rest for Naruto. It didn't help that when he felt he was getting used to one person then the other would change the tempo causing him to lose balance. It was a very frustrating ordeal. Naruto couldn't move, he could only gasp for breath as the Anbu watched him. "I…I…Improvements….please!" Naruto wheezed out much to their amusement before they quickly spoke.

"Naruto-san you have the tendency of stepping in too much to commit to an attack. You also tend to force more energy than you believe you have available in your punches. You also seem to…prefer to rush your opponents. In the right circumstances it is a valuable strategy, but not in this case. However you also have a lot of ingenuity and creativity Naruto-san. Your lack of a distinct style made it a bit more difficult that most to target. I would say that you were especially good at getting people out of their comfort zones in fighting," Cat said. Naruto quickly nodded too tired to reply.

"I try not to boast about others abilities, but I find Naruto-san's hand-eye coordination to be almost a cut above anyone I have seen aside from the most talent shinobi or dojutsu wielders. He is a very hands-on person. Which is probably why the academy wasn't the best suit for him. He has a fair amount of speed, but it's clear that in some situations he doesn't know what to do with it. Naruto-san how have you faired with the clone technique?" Ox asked. Naruto groaned as Cat helped him up. Naruto initially flinched from the action, but was really to tired to be paranoid.

"I've never passed it. I asked some of the teachers, but they told me to just keep training at it. Others didn't even say anything. Iruka-sensei told me that I just needed better chakra control. Genma-sensei said that chakra control was the cornerstone of all shinobi techniques, but no matter how hard I've tried, I could never accomplish it," Naruto answered. Ox placed a finger to his chin while Deer took a step forward.

"I believe Ox-san's point is that Naruto-san was using a little too much chakra to attempt to enhance his movements. Overall, he has the makings of an excellent shinobi. A metaphorical diamond in the rough as you would say," Deer explained. Naruto wasn't about to try to go over what the word 'metaphorical' meant, but he couldn't stop just a small shred of happiness from shining in his body at their explanations. Maybe they were lying, maybe they were telling the truth, right now Naruto was too tired to care.

As the day went on, Naruto and the eight Anbu continued to train more and more. Naruto continued to give out instructions he assumed would work for everyone as well as himself. Naruto had to say that he never felt so mentally and physically drained. As the sun slowly began to set over the horizon, Naruto and the other Anbu made one final exercise of 30 laps around the area before packing their things.

"I still hate all of you," Naruto pouted as the eight laughed. "It's not our fault you have a child's body Naruto-san. You were only ten laps behind us this time," Monkey said making Naruto's eyebrow twitch as they finished their things. Out of the bushes came Tiger and Snake.

"Have a fun time?" Tiger asked with a voice that annoyed Naruto for some reason. "I would call this a productive day so far. However we will all meet here next week and the weeks to follow," Deer said and everyone quickly agreed. Snake and Tiger merely huffed before they walked off.

In the dead of night, the ten Anbu and Naruto returned to the village. As they began to set off Naruto quickly stopped them. "Ah gomen, Neko-san, Tori-san, Tanuki-san, can you all go to the library and pick up these books for me in your spare time. You can leave the bag at the front of my apartment door," Naruto said handing the three a sheet of paper.

"If you insist, but what for Uzumaki-san?" Cat asked which Naruto only gave a tired smile. "Se-cr-et!" He said before he walked off home tiredly. The other Anbu watched him leave before they faded away as well.

Tired from the day, Naruto quickly made his way through his door of his house. He noticed the usual bowl of ramen on the table and swiftly devoured it before he hoped into the shower. Once he stepped out he made his way to his bed. He quickly took note of…should he call it his now? It was around him all the time. It never went away. Yeah, fine. He quickly took note of his white furred feline that slept soundly in his bed. He glanced over to see Ayame already sleeping soundly in her futon. He didn't seek to wake her up. He glared down at the cat for a moment before he climbed into bed and fell asleep. As soon as Naruto fell asleep, the cat opened her eyes and glanced at Naruto. She pawed his face for but a moment before chuckling. _"Just a little longer…my mate!"_ a feminine voice gently breezed through the room almost like a whisper before it died out. The cat slowly closed her eyes and went back to sleep, satisfied…for now.

-x-

Naruto was clearly happy to not have training or missions today as he winced getting out of bed, the aftereffects of his training with the Anbu coming into play. With some exerted effort, Naruto rolled himself out of bed. He could already smell Ayame's cooking from the kitchen and made himself present. "Ah good morning Naruto-kun!" Naruto glanced up to see Ayame pleasantly working.

"Good morning," Naruto would have tried to sound upbeat if he had any upbeat-ness to give. He really didn't have any of that. "No missions today?" Ayame asked with a pleasant smile on her face. Why would she want to know that? Naruto didn't know what to think on her question, but it sounded…uneasy for him. However it was true that he didn't have any missions or group training today. "Ummm…no," Naruto replied. He then saw Ayame's face lit up.

"That's great! I have to go to work soon so I was hoping you could handle the shopping while I was gone," she said holding out a list in front of him. Naruto wanted to groan, but held off the desire to. He just nodded and took the note while Ayame placed his breakfast in front of him. It was an enjoyable one that was quickly eaten. By the time he had finished, Ayame had already left which left Naruto to himself. As he ate, he quickly set the list aside before he pulled a piece of paper. He then pulled out a pencil and began writing. As the person leading the training, Naruto figured it would have been good to write up a schedule of sorts.

Ten minutes passed as Naruto tapped his sheet of paper. With a small sigh, Naruto pushed his chair back. "Dammit this is so boring! Why do I have to make schedule?!" Naruto asked as he clutched his blonde hair. Slowly the blond shivered when he looked down and noticed his cat at his feet. She mewled happily before Naruto brought her into his arms. "I don't suppose you could help me, could you?" Naruto asked.

" _You needed only ask…my mate!"_ Naruto heard a voice speak and quickly looked around. However the voice was so small it might as well have been a whisper making Naruto question if he had even heard it in the first place. Naruto blinked before a knock on his door came. Setting his cat down, Naruto moved to open it only to see a chunin in front of it. "Hokage-sama wishes to see you for a moment Uzumaki-san," the chunin said. Naruto quickly acknowledged the message before the chunin walked away.

"W-W-What does Jiji need with me?" Naruto asked himself aloud before he moved to get dressed. He stuffed the list Ayame gave him into his pockets along with his schedule before he walked out of the door. His cat watched him go before a chuckle was heard over the room. _"Have a good day…my mate,"_ the voice said over the room before the cat quickly hopped on the table.

Meanwhile, Naruto shivered as he stood under the gaze of the Hokage. For some reason, this look from Hiruzen wasn't one that Naruto was familiar with. It had hints of sorrow, but also hints of laying displeasure. "Naruto-kun, how are you feeling?" Sarutobi asked. Naruto blinked. What kind of question was that? Did the Hokage think something was wrong with him? Was something actually wrong with him? We…Were they going to get rid of him?

"I-I don't think I am dattebayo. I'm a little beat from training with the Anbu, but that's about it," Naruto answered stiffly. The Hokage's eyes narrowed for a moment before he sighed. "You know if something is troubling you then you can talk to me about it Naruto-kun. I'm here to help you," Sarutobi said. Naruto resisted the urge to scoff. Help him? Help him?! A cute choice of words. With a sigh, Naruto spoke.

"I guess there is something I need help with," Naruto said as Hiruzen leaned forward. Naruto quickly walked over and whispered into Sarutobi's ear. The Hokage widened his eyes as Naruto backed away. "Naruto-kun, you know I can't give that to you," Hiruzen said seriously. Naruto mentally cursed, but quickly righted his mindset.

"Aw come on Jiji, I'm serious here! If they aren't going to be a part of the team then they don't deserve to train with the others who want to train with me. Then that bet started and now things are stupid! If I make an awesome training schedule for everyone then I need to know what they can do. Isn't that how Jonin-sensei create good training for the genin and stuff like that? They see what they can do?" Naruto asked. Hiruzen looked at Naruto for a moment before he chuckled.

"You've been reading the scroll I gave you," he said while Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Never leave home without it Jiji," Naruto replied. Sarutobi chuckled for a moment before he tapped his pen on the papers in front of him. The time seemed to go on and on before Naruto groaned.

"Okay, what if I never leave this room without them. I'll just… do the schedule here. Better yet, we share your desk and I do the schedule right next to you! How about that?" Naruto asked. Hiruzen groaned. That wasn't the problem. Anbu files were top-secret. Even Naruto's Kyuubi status was on par with this. For Hiruzen to give Naruto those files was to show a large amount of trust in the blond. He wasn't sure if he should, but Naruto was already in the company of Anbu and he had talk about training with them. Doing something like that was a secret in and of itself. Which was why only the council and Genma knew about it along with a select few other Anbu. Hiruzen looked at Naruto's pleading eyes and sighed.

"Very well Naruto-kun, you cannot leave this room until you are done. Also I do not mean to frighten you, but if you leak any of these secrets from this room. I am sworn in the name of Konoha and the Daimyo…to kill you, regardless of your status," Sarutobi said shocking Naruto as he took a step back. K-K-Kill him? His Jiji would…would kill him just because he spoke about them. For once in his life, Naruto felt even more afraid of the Hokage than the rest of the village.

Seeing Naruto's look, Sarutobi softened his gaze. "That is how vital I am trusting and telling you Naruto-kun. The Anbu are some of Konoha's most elite operatives. Having their identities compromised is to spell death to the village. The ONLY reason I am even letting you look at the records are for this purpose. I would never consider doing it otherwise. For every action, there are consequences, good and bad. Please…don't make me do something that would break my heart to do," Hiruzen said. Naruto just nodded slowly, still deadened by the news that Sarutobi would kill him. Kill…him? He…would die. Just…just like on his birthday when the village tried to drown him. Only this time…no one would help him if he begged. No one…would rescue him.

Naruto didn't speak as Sarutobi waved his hand. An Anbu dropped to the ground and handed over ten files before vanishing away. Naruto looked at the ten files. Those ten files…held the essence of his life and his death. Hiruzen took the folders and handed them to Naruto. "Here you are Naruto-kun," Hiruzen said with a steely gaze. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Naruto grabbed the files. Even with his back turned he could feel Hiruzen's eyes glaring into the back of his head. The faint intent of death rested over his shoulders. It was enough to make Naruto puke, but Naruto came here with a purpose and he had to get it done.

Swiftly, Naruto sat himself in a corner and pulled out his paper and pen. He glanced to the Sandaime for only a second before he opened the first file. "Codename: Cat - Neko. Name: Uzuki Yugao. Gender: Female Height: 154.45 cm. Weight: 45.7 kg. Blood Type: A. Age: 20. Classification: Sensor. Shinobi registration number: 012161. Anbu-level: Kenjutsu," Naruto read to himself as he saw a woman with purple hair and warm brown eyes. The seriousness in her face was evident by the smile she wasn't wearing. Thinking back, the Cat-masked Anbu did have purple hair. Naruto could see that. He took a deep breath before moving on.

"Codename: Deer - Shika. Name: Tokuma Hyuga. Gender: Male. Height: 153.45 cm. Weight: 60 kg. Blood Type: B. Age: 18. Classification: Sensor. Shinobi registration number: 013425. Anbu-level: Taijutsu, Dojutsu," Naruto finished before he raised an eyebrow. Perhaps it was because he didn't expect a Hyuuga to be assigned a name that reminded him of Shikamaru. Naruto could see that Tokuma had shoulder-length, spiky brown hair with two long bangs framing either side of his face and the featureless white eyes inherited by all Hyūga clan members. Naruto flipped the folder closed before moving on.

"Codename: Tiger - Tora. Name: Kagura. Gender: Female. Height: 159.23 cm. Weight: 46.1 kg. Blood Type: O. Age: 19. Classification: Tracker. Shinobi registration number: 034187. Anbu-level: Weapon skills, Ninjutsu," Naruto read as he took a look at Kagura. So far only this woman knew what smiling was, but the smile on her face was filled with such…Sasuke-ness it nearly pissed him off. Naruto had to admit that she had beautiful white hair as well as lovely ice blue eyes though he had to blush at her…daring Anbu attire. It was a very revealing red outfit, showing her midriff, arms, and legs.

"Ne Jiji, the Anbu don't really care what you wear do they?" Naruto asked bringing Hiruzen from his work. "While the standard uniform is the be a must on stealth missions, for other high-priority missions the attire isn't really focused on Naruto-kun," Hiruzen said. Naruto murmured to himself for a moment before he placed the file away and moved onto the next.

"Codename: Boar - Inoshi. Name: Shen Kinkou. Gender: Male. Height: 165.34 cm. Weight: 50.37 kg. Blood Type: AB. Age: 22. Classification: Hunter. Shinobi registration number: 035892. Anbu-level: Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Fūinjutsu, Kenjutsu," Naruto took a look at Shen. The man had a very tight brown pony-tail and he looked dead serious. It honestly made him wondered what his laugh looked like without the mask. Still Naruto figured Shen was pretty cool as far as that went with Naruto nowadays. Naruto closed that folder and moved into the next one.

"Codename: Raccoon - Tanuki. Name: Komachi. Gender: Female. Height: 154 cm. Weight: 45 kg. Blood Type: A negative. Age: 19. Classification: Assassin. Shinobi registration number: 010322. Anbu-level: Weapon skills, Taijutsu, Long-range ninjutsu," Naruto looked over Komachi's folder. Her blonde hair reminded him a little of Ino's only a little darker. Though her hair was kept in its shape by the ornamental in said hair. Her bored look almost made Naruto laugh before he placed the folder away.

"Codename: Bird - Tori. Name: Kazuma Yagami. Gender: Male. Height: 167.45 cm. Weight: 49 kg. Blood Type: B positive. Age: 20. Classification: Sensor, Assassin, Hunter. Shinobi registration number: 046030. Anbu-level: Ninjutsu," Naruto finished. The blonde groaned as he looked at the cool gaze of Kazuma. His orange brown eyes were actually a better sight than Naruto could have hoped to see. He looked more composed than Naruto assumed. He definitely looked like the type who was good at long-term decision-making skills. Or at least that's what Naruto thought about him anyway.

"Codename: Ox - Baku. Name: Maruten Akimichi. Gender: Male. Height: 186.47 cm. Weight: 101 kg. Blood Type: O negative. Age: 28. Classification: Hunter. Shinobi registration number: 086938. Anbu-level: Taijutsu," Naruto said. He looked over Maruten and chuckled. An almost older version of Chouji of Naruto had to give his opinion. However by his expression he definitely seemed to the…toughest out of everyone. Naruto unconsciously rubbed his cheek. He could attest to that.

"Codename: Fox - Kitsune. Name: Kabuto Yakushi. Gender: Male. Height: 170.7 cm. Weight: 60.1 kg. Blood Type: AB. Age: 17. Classification: Assassin, Medic, Sensor. Shinobi registration number: 012140. Anbu-level: Intellect, Taijutsu, Medic Ninjutsu," Naruto said before he looked over Kabuto. Man, the guy didn't look like much, but Naruto knew about going by appearances. His white hair reminded him of Kagura a little bit, but he also had some glasses on. He seemed nice. Note that Naruto thought _seemed_. He quickly wrote down some notes on his paper before closing the folder and moving to the next.

"Codename: Monkey - Saru. Name: Son Wukong. Gender: Male. Height: 166.35 cm. Weight: 59.34 kg. Blood Type: B positive. Age 20. Classification: Infiltrator. Shinobi registration number: 063023. Anbu-level: Taijutsu, Nin-Taijutsu," Naruto sighed as he closed the folders. This guy…just looked like the very definition of hairy. It almost made Naruto laugh. He quickly pinched the bridge of his nose. God this was so boring. However he had just one more. The last one he was dreading. He opened the folder.

"Codename: Snake - Hebi. Name: Itsuki Kamiyama. Gender: Male. Height: 163.29 cm. Weight: 48 kg. Blood Type: A negative. Age 18. Classification: Assassin, Infiltrator, Hunter. Shinobi registration number: 056937. Anbu-level: Taijutsu, Ninjutsu," Naruto quickly read the last one before he closed the folder and finished the stake. When he had looked over Snake, the guy looked like he had never smiled a damn day in his life! His black hair which swayed in the wind over his mask was only complimented by his darkened eyes. So that was the guy who was being a dick the whole time. Naruto gently pushed the folders away.

"Ne Jiji, what do Anbu call standard training?" Naruto asked from his side. Hiruzen looked up from his work for a moment before he placed a finger to his chin. "There is an Anbu training manual. Perhaps that would give you some insight," he said. Quickly one of the Anbu gave Naruto a copy of the manual before he vanished away. Naruto quickly opened it and his grip on the paper trembled. These guys…were insane.

Naruto closed the manual and uttered another sigh for the umpteenth time. Standing to his feet, he quickly collected the folders and gave them back to Sarutobi. "Arigatou Jiji, I got some great ideas now!" Naruto said with a grin before he grabbed his notes and ran out the door. Hiruzen watched him go before a small smile appeared on his face. He then quickly placed the folders away as fast as they had appeared on his desk.

Shopping taken care of, Naruto made his way back to his house. As he walked up the stairs he turned and noticed three bags in front of his door. He narrowed his eyes for a second before he approached the bag and opened it. He blinked when he saw three books inside it. Naruto quickly opened his door and walked inside to see his cat waiting for him at the door. He slowly grinned before he set the bags down. He quickly opened the bag filled with books. "The Power of Earthquakes, Trust Exercises, Tasks of Being A Leader," Naruto read the titles before scratching the back of his head. Kami, he hated reading! He should have already done enough reading for one day. This was all dumb!

Naruto decided to set the books aside for a later time and pick up the scroll that Sarutobi had given him. He felt like had been neglecting some of his chakra training and wanted to rectify that. So Naruto quickly rushed himself into his fūinjutsu training as well as other exercises. His body still felt sore, but he figured it was better than just not doing anything for the whole day. "I guess I can get to work on this. Let's see I guess I can try making my own storage seals," Naruto said to himself with a small nod.

-x-

When Ayame returned home she widened her eyes at the number of scrolls that littered the ground. She saw Naruto in the middle of the living room writing more seals to the best of his ability. "You never stop do you?" Ayame asked as she checked the fridge. Looked like Naruto had gotten her everything that she asked for. "Haven't had the time Ayame-chan. Been very busy. Ever since I made that first storage seal my mind has been flooded with ideas!" Naruto said with a small grin that almost made Ayame gulp. Naruto's creativity was one of the many things she actually feared about the blonde.

"Like what?" Ayame asked. Naruto grinned at her before looking down. "I'm trying to make a scroll where the impact of…something like a jutsu can be stored before being released back to the user! I think I've got it right!" Naruto said as he spoke. Ayame just nodded. Shinobi matters confused her which was why she did go to the Academy, but Naruto seemed interested and dare she say, cute when he was like that. She just let him to his devices.

She quickly moved herself through the apartment and into the bedroom to change her clothes while Naruto continued to work. Naruto turned and noticed his cat looking over the seals as she licked her paws. Naruto blinked before he moved back to his work as normal. He still had other areas to cover and soon enough he would go back to more shinobi exercises. As it stood, even performing a D-rank jutsu seemed to be beyond him at the moment. Though Naruto would de damned if this didn't keep him from being awesome in his life! _"Would you like some help…my mate?"_ Naruto shot up from his work. Okay he had that this time. He looked around the room hastily. Almost in a panic did he search for the voice. His head whipped around all over. Was something messing with him? Was he being spied on? Was he going crazy? However as Naruto thought, his mind slowly began to calm down. His senses eased and his body relaxed. Something in the air wrapped around him gently guiding him back to the work he was doing. Naruto slowly fell back to his notes. _"You wish for no one to lie to you. Very well, for as long as your are my mate…all truths are yours,"_ she said and Naruto wasn't sure, but he felt himself go a little hazy. Slowly he fell forward and closed his eyes. As he did, his cat waved her tail. Without a sound, she curled up next to him pleasantly enjoying the heat he offered.

" _Sleep well…my mate. For tomorrow is another day for you to grow…into my emperor,"_ the voice said before it faded away into nothingness.

* * *

 _ **KG: I guess I can stop there. I'll be honest before the whole identities of the Anbu came up, I was still deciding on any of them being male or female so I just used it interchangeably. Also yes, some of those names are obvious as fuck. I TRIED DAMMIT! I tried my hardest!**_

 _ **KG: Anyway, I got the female. It should be obvious. Even if it isn't well that's fine too. It'll make it more fun.**_

 _ **KG: Well that's all folks. Stay Breezy, protect what's important to you, review, and…SEND ME CREAM SODA! Also I will demand you all, in the name of our Cream Soda Goddess, Miranda-sama, TO RESPECT THE CREAM! If you don't I WILL LAYETH THE SMACKETH DOWN ON ALL YOUR ASSES!**_


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